Federal body suspends auction of land housing Santos’ CT Rei Pelé | OneFootball

Brazil’s Union Heritage Secretariat has suspended the auction of the plot that houses Santos’ CT Rei Pelé, the winner having been due on four August. According to Globo.com, the decision was set out in a dispatch published last Friday.

The move follows a recommendation from the Ministério Público Federal, which said the tender should pause until technical, legal, tax and property issues are fully resolved.

A document signed by acting secretary Alessandra D’Ávila Vieira said suspension was needed to allow full analysis before the public session and to safeguard public interest, legality, transparency and legal certainty, citing a legal opinion and Laws 14.133/2021 and 9.784/1999.

Prosecutors’ recommendation is extrajudicial, so not binding, but serves as a formal warning. If ignored, further measures, including court action, could follow.

The site totals 39,027.56 m² and covers the entire training centre, valued at R$ 79.7 million. The May notice listed 2,922.34 m² of built structures, youth facilities, three pitches, the Recanto dos Alvinegros hotel and parking.

Santos held purchase preference and has pursued the deal since the Andres Rueda administration, which submitted an offer in December 2021 and formalised a proposal in May 2023. In January 2024 the club said it had exercised its right to buy, and prosecutors later opened an inquiry into possible favouritism, which the club denied.

Source: Globo.com