Prompted by Ronaldo, Kaká says SAF isn't the answer for São Paulo | OneFootball

Former players Ronaldo Fenômeno and Kaká, world champions with the Brazilian National Team in 2002, got together on Thursday (18) in a live broadcast on the former striker’s social media. During the conversation, the football idols discussed sports management, the Football Corporation (SAF) model, and political challenges on the national scene.

Asked by Ronaldo about the possibility of taking over as head coach of São Paulo, the club where he began his career, Kaká ruled out a move to the sidelines. The former midfielder justified the decision by pointing to the heavy toll of the role.

“I’m not willing to be a coach. It demands too much time to try to succeed. Right now, I’m not willing to give up time with my family. They’re choices, and today I don’t want to pay that price,” he explained.

Ronaldo said he sees his former teammate as someone with a profile geared toward executive leadership and suggested, as a possibility, acquiring Tricolor’s SAF. Kaká, however, was skeptical about both the feasibility of the idea and whether São Paulo truly needs that model.

“As for São Paulo’s SAF, I don’t think it’s simple. There are bylaws, a board, and a series of approvals. I don’t see SAF as the only solution. It’s an interesting path for some clubs, but what Brazilian football needs is good management,” Kaká said, citing Flamengo and Palmeiras as examples of member-run administrations that have been financially successful.

Ronaldo details pressures in SAF and backs away from Corinthians

Drawing on his experiences running Spain’s Real Valladolid and Cruzeiro, Ronaldo shared the challenges of restructuring debt-ridden clubs and criticized the traditional member-association model. According to the former player, the process of cleaning up finances creates severe political wear and tear.

“The member-association model allows a lot of people to benefit from the club, and the only way to solve that is by cutting privileges. I lived through that at Cruzeiro and made a lot of enemies,” Ronaldo said.

Fenômeno also revealed that he had considered investing in Corinthians in the past, but gave up on the idea because of the hostility in Brazilian football and the tolerance of violence.

“Corinthians is one of the biggest assets in Brazil. I really wanted to do it, I’m passionate about the club, but today I don’t know if I would. After my experience at Cruzeiro, I saw that fans mix things up with on-field performance. Fans do not have the right to attack people or invade the Training Center. The press has normalized this. It’s absurd, and it makes me wary,” concluded the businessman he is today.

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