Corinthians back out of logistics deal, here’s why | OneFootball

The board of Corinthians, chaired by Osmar Stabile, backtracked and decided that, for now, it will not sign a contract with Off Side, the company responsible for the football department’s logistics services.

Just over a week ago, Gazeta Esportiva exclusively revealed that in April 2024, Timão, then presided over by Augusto Melo, changed its logistics service, ending its partnership with Palace and hiring Off Side. However, the company’s hiring process had some irregularities.

The club did not obtain three quotes, as required by the bylaws, and did not sign the contract draft, which was even written up without going through the compliance system. The company, therefore, has been operating for over a year without any formal ties to Corinthians.

At the time, the club sent a statement to the report admitting the mistakes of the previous management and promising to regularize the contractual issue. The board understood there was a “need to formalize the agreement for the proper continuation of the partnership,” but it reassessed the decision.

(Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians)

Understand the decision

According to Corinthians’ statement sent to Gazeta Esportiva, payment to Off Side has been made as follows: the company issues invoices according to the services provided, game by game. The club, therefore, only needs to pay an amount when the company provides the service. In addition, Off Side provides logistical support only for matches outside the State of São Paulo.

Timão reviewed data and found that this partnership model brought financial savings to the club. For this reason, and to avoid having Corinthians ‘tied’ to a contract, the board deemed it beneficial to maintain the arrangement without signing a contract.

This, however, does not exempt the club from carrying out the other processes, such as submitting the company to review by the compliance system. In a statement, Corinthians had reported that the partnership “would go through the proper internal procedures.”

More Comfort

As reported, the decision in favor of Off Side also stemmed from the desire to offer more comfort to the athletes. The football department held a conversation with players to get feedback on the services previously provided and chose to make the change.

Questioned by Gazeta, the football executive Fabinho Soldado defended the decision, of which he was the main proponent.

“In the view of the football executive, Fabinho Soldado, Corinthians currently has the best service provided within the executed values, demonstrably at a lower cost when comparing the packages offered by the companies. Corinthians has advanced greatly in its logistics, demonstrably noticeable in day-to-day operations and in the athletes’ feedback,” he stated in a note.

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