Santos secures 40-year renewal of CT Rei Pelé concession | OneFootball

Santos have renewed the CT Rei Pelé concession for 40 more years, 20 plus an automatic 20, agreed on Thursday morning in Brasília in a meeting attended by president Lula and a club delegation including president Marcelo Texeira, presidential special adviser Júnior Bozzella, and former players Pepe, Clodoaldo and Serginho Chulapa.

The land belongs to the federal government, and the use-right had been debated for years. According to Globo.com, the deal sets a monthly payment of R$ 145,000.

It is a Concessão de Direito Real de Uso (CDRU), which gives the club legal security to remain for the term while the site stays public property. In return, Santos commit to social projects, academy investment and conservation of the area.

The process, handled since Texeira took office, concluded with the Secretaria de Patrimônio da União. The club is expected to commission a commemorative plaque for the training centre.

Bozzella, a lawyer and former federal deputy and party leader, led the talks in Brasília and has taken a prominent role behind the scenes, including on the Vila Belmiro refurbishment.

Santos formally signalled interest in purchasing the land in February 2024 and explored options to avoid eviction risk, with months of meetings yielding common ground. They even discussed financing with Caixa Econômica Federal and private institutions in case of an SPU auction, which ultimately did not take place.

The original concession dates to 1996, but several social obligations went unmet across different boards, a scenario that could have sent the area, then valued at around R$ 80 million, to auction. Guidance from the Ministério Público Federal not to proceed opened the way to revised figures and, ultimately, a fresh concession.

Source: Globo.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”