Ocupa Palestra on Vasco SAF: bosses must separate private business | OneFootball

The Ocupa Palestra group, made up of male and female council members and individuals linked to Palmeiras, released an official statement this Friday (25) expressing concern over recent developments involving a possible acquisition of Vasco da Gama’s SAF by companies linked to businessman José Roberto Lamacchia, husband of Palmeiras’ current president and also a club council member.

In the statement, the group says it had already been raising questions about possible conflicts of interest related to Palmeiras’ management and the private business dealings of club officials. According to Ocupa Palestra, these concerns had previously been formally submitted to the club’s internal bodies in search of clarification.

The group argues that there must be a separation between club officials’ private business interests and their roles within Palmeiras’ administration, saying the club’s institutional image must be preserved.

Among the requests presented, Ocupa Palestra suggests that, if the acquisition of Vasco da Gama is completed, José Roberto Lamacchia should voluntarily step down from Palmeiras’ Deliberative Council. The group cites Article 33, item XIII, of the club’s bylaws to support its position.

The statement also calls for the interruption of any direct or indirect benefits that may be granted to rival teams by companies or private structures linked to Palmeiras’ president. The group cites, as an example, the possible use of a private aircraft by the rival club.

In addition, Ocupa Palestra asks Palmeiras’ oversight bodies to strengthen protection mechanisms related to the institution’s operational data and know-how.

Official statement from Ocupa Palestra

In defense of Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras

We, the male and female council members and members of the Ocupa Palestra group, have been following with attention and concern the recent developments involving the acquisition of Vasco da Gama by companies linked to Mr. José Roberto Lamacchia, husband of the current president of Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras and a club council member.

We have always warned of the need to eliminate conflicts of interest involving the management of the club and the private business dealings of its officials. We formally brought these concerns to the club’s bodies on several occasions, demanding explanations that were often denied, even with the complacency of those who were supposed to provide oversight.

It is essential to separate the private business dealings of club officials from the positions they temporarily hold in Palmeiras’ administration, preserving the institutional image of our association. Under no circumstances may the president’s companies finance or favor our direct rivals on the field.

In light of this scenario, and in strict respect for the guidelines of our bylaws, we request:

1) Voluntary resignation from the Deliberative Council: If the acquisition of Vasco da Gama is completed, we suggest that council member José Roberto Lamacchia himself submit a request to step down from his duties on the Deliberative Council (CD). Article 33, item XIII, of the bylaws provides that acting against the interests of the club is an infraction, making the status of guarantor or financier of a rival team incompatible with holding a term on the CD.

2) Interruption of direct or indirect benefits: We stress the need to put an end to any kind of benefit, facilitation, or provision of resources from the president’s ecosystem to opposing teams. The use of private infrastructure, such as the possible use of her aircraft by the rival club, constitutes a clear and inseparable direct benefit to an opponent.

3) Institutional protection: We request that the club’s oversight bodies, especially the Deliberative Council (CD) and the Guidance and Oversight Council (COF), in the exercise of their duties, establish stronger barriers to protect the operational data and know-how of our institution, whose level of excellence has been achieved through the continuous work of different club officials over more than a decade.

Above our political role on the Council, we are supporters of Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras. This is where we were born and where we will die, acting firmly to defend only the interests of the club we love.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.