Club chiefs approve start of talks for Brazil football league | OneFootball

Executives from clubs in Série A and Série B praised the CBF for holding the inaugural meeting to begin discussions on the creation of the Brazilian Football League. The event, held this Monday (6) in Rio de Janeiro, brought together representatives from clubs and state federations and presented comparative data with the world’s leading national leagues to highlight how much Brazilian football can still evolve.

The CBF believes that, before starting talks on issues such as governance, regulations, and revenue distribution, it is necessary to focus on improving the “Brazilian football” product and stresses that “the league must have the clubs in the leading role.” This process involves offering more attractive conditions so that fans, clubs, sponsors, and the media engage even more with the country’s most popular sport.

CBF held an inaugural meeting with Série A and Série B clubs and State Federations to begin the debate on the creation of the Football League in BrazilCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

“The meeting was fundamental because we brought a communication strategy and a vision for how we are going to create our league. And before we talk about how to market and structure a league, we first need to talk about the product delivered to our fans. A group of nine directors studied various dimensions of football, of the Brasileirão product that we produce, and we brought several elements here so that over the coming months we can move forward in building a better product,” said Helder Melillo, CBF executive director.

“We believe the league must have the clubs in the leading role. The CBF sees itself here as a coordinator, as an intervening party in the clubs’ actions, and as a mediator. We brought several suggestions for next steps and strategic proposals, but everything will be decided by the clubs,” he added.

CBF executive director Helder Melillo speaks during the CBF’s inaugural meeting with Série A and Série B clubs to begin the debate on the creation of the Brazilian Football LeagueCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

See what some executives had to say:

Reinaldo Carneiro Bastos, president of the Paulista Football Federation: “This meeting was unlike anything I have ever seen in Brazilian football. We got an exact sense of where we stand compared to the most modern leagues in the world and how much we need to evolve. The CBF gave the clubs the chance to take part in this debate, and they should take part. I have always believed football will grow; it needs the development of the clubs so that we can create new moments and a new format in every sense. Because the league is the end point of this work.”

Leila Pereira, president of Palmeiras: “With the strength of the CBF and the CBF’s desire to improve our product, I have no doubt that this is a great path toward the beginning of our league“.

Palmeiras president Leila Pereira during the CBF’s inaugural meeting with Série A and Série B clubs to begin the debate on the creation of the Brazilian Football LeagueCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

Pedro Daniel, CEO of Atlético-MG: “It was a historic and very important meeting for Brazilian football. A major diagnosis was presented, covering several fronts, and showing where we stand compared to the major leagues. It was a very interesting starting point to discuss where we want to be in world football, what the main points are that we need to discuss, so that we can reach what we most want in Brazilian football, which is to be a benchmark in management. The league is a key piece of that, and today was a very important day for this discussion.”

Pedro Martins, CEO of Fortaleza: “I want to congratulate the CBF for carrying out such an accurate diagnosis and for bringing a debate that I think is necessary. When we talk about the future of Brazilian football, first you need to identify all the problems. And why not propose a collective solution? I believe the CBF is spearheading a fundamental project, and I have no doubt that with this depth, with this more complex debate, we will be able to see a better Brazilian football a few years from now.”

Atlético-MG CEO Pedro Daniel speaks during the CBF’s inaugural meeting with Série A and Série B clubs to begin the debate on the creation of the Brazilian Football LeagueCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

Adson Batista, president of Atlético Goianiense: “I thought it was a fantastic initiative, something I had never seen before. This CBF administration has shown a strong attitude, wanting to solve problems. I think we should have started taking action yesterday so that we can have the league. This is the path. We will have better revenues, and we are far behind the other leagues. To solve a problem, you have to know it, and we need to evolve a lot. I saw that there is a lucid, clear, and very transparent proposal to improve Brazilian football.”

Mario Celso Petraglia, president of Athletico-PR: “I am extremely surprised; the meeting was very well received. Every club I spoke to had the same impression we did. It was a perfect diagnosis, showing all the inconsistencies, negative situations in Brazilian football, and suggestions for solutions. I am surprised and happy to hear what we heard today. The outcome is extremely positive. It is a fundamental starting point. Everyone left extremely satisfied, calm, confident, and now, with the involvement of the new CBF, the single league will really happen.”

Mattheus Montenegro, president of Fluminense: “The clubs responded well to the meeting. The CBF did a good job and a good study on the problems of Brazilian football. And there are still many more issues to be discussed, but in terms of identifying the problems, it was a very productive meeting. (...) Because the importance of the league is to maximize every kind of revenue in Brazilian football. When clubs are divided, a lot of revenue is left on the table, and the goal of bringing them together is to tap into all commercial assets and make sure that goes back into the clubs’ pockets.”

Athletico-PR president Mario Celso Petraglia speaks during the CBF’s inaugural meeting with Série A and Série B clubs to begin the debate on the creation of the Brazilian Football LeagueCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

About the meeting

At the event, the CBF presented studies conducted since the first months of the current administration to show the full untapped potential of Brazilian football, whose top national division is nevertheless the sixth most valuable league in the world. The analysis was deepened following an international immersion in Europe in January, when the Brazilian delegation became familiar with concepts, governance models, and strategies used by the leagues and federations of England, Germany, and Spain on issues such as financial fair play, technology, and the professionalization of refereeing.

Different structural issues of the Brasileirão were compared with the world’s top national leagues, and areas in which Brazil still needs improvement were identified: the calendar, playing time, stadiums (attendance, security, and infrastructure), broadcasting, communication and social media, marketing, the exodus of young talents, governance of the regulations, and the financial situation of clubs.

However, before starting this entire process, the CBF responded to recent requests from various sports entities and clubs to organize a ceremony aimed at beginning conversations about a single league in Brazil, a move the entity sees as a necessary step for the evolution of Brazilian football.

Fortaleza CEO Pedro Martins during the CBF’s inaugural meeting with Série A and Série B clubs to begin the debate on the creation of the Brazilian Football LeagueCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

Positioning itself as a mediator and one of the leaders in the debate, the CBF reiterates that the league, above all, belongs to the clubs.

The entity also believes that the league will be born even stronger because of the series of transformations the CBF has been promoting in Brazilian football, such as the restructuring and rationalization of the men’s professional football calendar, the implementation of Financial Fair Play, and the professionalization of refereeing and investment in technology.

Following this inaugural meeting, the CBF, which prioritizes dialogue before making any decision, will gather solutions and ideas from clubs and state federations to move forward with discussions on the creation of the Football League in Brazil.

CBF president Samir Xaud at the event that brought together Série A and Série B clubs and State Federations to begin the debate on the creation of the Football League in BrazilCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

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