Ex-partner ousted by São Paulo fined, now owes Tricolor | OneFootball

After finally managing to break free from FGoal, São Paulo’s former partner responsible for providing food and beverages throughout Morumbi Stadium, the club received good news from the State Court, which fined the company for acting in bad faith in its lawsuit against Tricolor.

The court decision ordered FGoal Marketing e Eventos to pay 9.9% of the case’s value, estimated by the court at R$ 8 million, according to initial reports by the portal UOL. São Paulo should therefore receive around R$ 800,000.

The verdict indicated bad faith on the part of the company when it filed a lawsuit against Tricolor demanding R$ 5 million after the contract was terminated. After its initial injunction was denied, FGoal filed a new lawsuit, this time demanding only R$ 200,000. Following legal battles, São Paulo won and managed to remove the former partner’s equipment from Morumbi and ‘expel’ the company from the club for good.

After resolving the legal disputes, São Paulo has already announced that, as of this past Saturday (21), GSH (Gourmet Sports Hospitality) has started operating at Morumbi, taking over food and beverage services throughout the stadium.

RECAP OF THE CASE

The termination between São Paulo and FGoal originated from the identification of financial transactions deemed suspicious on the Zig Pay platform, the system that centralizes payments at the stadium and the social club.

According to São Paulo, there were actions taken without contractual backing or the knowledge of the responsible departments. FGoal contested this, claiming the amounts were related to technology and oversight services, but the termination of the original contract—which was set to run until 2029—was upheld.

The company even went to court demanding R$ 5.19 million for losses and damages, including projected profits, but dropped the lawsuit last week, indicating the adoption of a “new legal strategy.” “There is, for now, no negotiation of any kind with São Paulo Futebol Clube,” FGoal’s defense stated in a note.

Meanwhile, the club conducted a market process to select a new operator. Five proposals were evaluated by an internal committee until GSH was chosen, signing a five-year contract and fully taking over the sale of food and beverages at matches. The board expects to increase minimum revenue by at least 150% compared to the previous agreement. The new partnership also includes operational adjustments, such as standardizing food and beverages in the suites, although some spaces will retain autonomy.

GSH’s operations are limited to matches; events will continue to follow the rules of the event producers, which does not rule out the possible presence of FGoal itself at concerts. The change, therefore, is not just a supplier swap, but a shift in the business model.

According to ‘Estado de S. Paulo‘, the new company is not expected to operate the restaurants located at Morumbi—something it does at Atlético-MG’s arena and at Parque Antártica, for example—but this does not appear to have been ruled out as a future possibility, with no set timeline.

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