SAFiel founders face Corinthians resistance, aim to build bridges | OneFootball

The creators of SAFiel presented on Tuesday the proposal that aims to transform Corinthians into a Sociedade Anônima do Futebol (SAF), with fans as shareholders. The project, however, faces internal resistance within the club.

The founders of the initiative, Carlos Teixeira, Maurício Chamati, and Eduardo Salusse, admit to encountering barriers in bringing the idea to Parque São Jorge. They report difficulties in convincing board members and directors to move forward with the plan.

In Search of Connections

Carlos acknowledges that he still needs to “build bridges” to strengthen the project among the board members. He, however, accused the president of the Deliberative Council, Romeu Tuma Júnior, of not responding to several attempts at contact after an initial meeting.

The businessman also reported that president Osmar Stabile had confirmed his presence at the SAFiel launch event, but did not attend.

“We are making efforts to build these bridges. We met with Romeu Tuma, then I sent six messages and he chose not to respond. I regret that. We remain hopeful because it’s not for lack of trying. We haven’t built the necessary bridges yet, but we know that many people like the project. We will keep insisting,” said Carlos.

“I reiterate the invitation to Tuma. I met with Stabile, he said he would come and today we were informed that he could no longer attend. We are available, with humility, but firm. The Corinthians community has massively supported the project, without this being a tool of pressure or violence,” he added.

Carlos Teixeira, Maurício Chamati, Eduardo Salusse, three of the creators of SAFiel (Photo: André da Silva Costa/Gazeta Press)

Maurício Chamati, another creator, sees the project as “more mature,” but acknowledges that progress depends on the openness of the club’s internal bodies.

“We understand that we are at a mature stage of the project, but we are open to adjustments. It depends a lot on their goodwill and the engagement of the fans,” he stated.

Battle of Versions

The president of the Deliberative Council, Romeu Tuma Júnior, claims that the members of SAFiel did not formally submit the proposal to the Statute Reform Commission.

The creators planned to deliver the document this Tuesday, but president Osmar Stabile reported having a full schedule. The project will be sent by email, and a new date is being set for an in-person delivery.

The next step would be the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, which would subject SAFiel to Corinthians’ internal procedures. The text would undergo a feasibility study and, if approved, would go to the General Assembly of members.

What is SAFiel?

Created by Carlos Teixeira, Maurício Chamati, Eduardo Salusse, and Lucas Brasil, SAFiel envisions transforming Corinthians into an SAF, with professional management, run by the fans. Corinthians supporters could buy shares at affordable prices and vote for board members.

The club would be composed of four Councils: Administrative, Fiscal, Cultural, and Governance. The members of each sector would be chosen by the shareholders. The bodies would be responsible for oversight, and there would be periodic external audits to prevent possible irregularities.

According to the project, management would be the responsibility of professional executives, who would be “hired or dismissed based on ability and achievement of goals.” The football department would be separated from the associative club.

  See this photo on Instagram   A post shared by SAFIEL (@safiel1910)

How Would the Investment Work?

There are three possibilities for shareholders to make a financial contribution: a popular reserve, in which each fan can buy up to ten shares; a broad retail, aimed at Corinthians fans with greater purchasing power; and a third group intended for professional investors.

To acquire shares, the interested party must prove their membership at Parque São Jorge or enrollment in the Fiel Torcedor program. No shareholder may purchase more than 1.8% of the shares, in order to avoid concentration of power, in addition to other safeguards provided. Anyone wishing to invest must also prove the origin of their funds.

The goal is to raise R$ 2.5 billion to pay off debts and invest in football and the Corinthians social headquarters. The creators state that they are basing this on studies and believe that the shares tend to appreciate over time.

Is It Feasible?

The SAF topic, although it still faces internal resistance at Corinthians, has been gaining traction and is increasingly discussed among fans.

Proof of this is that the draft of the statute reform, presented by the Deliberative Council last Monday at Parque São Jorge, provides for the transformation of the club into an SAF. The document, however, imposes some conditions that, according to the creators of SAFiel, make their proposed model unfeasible.

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