Corinthians president and Tuma receive offer from SAFiel | OneFootball

On Wednesday, two of the creators of SAFiel, Carlos Teixeira and Eduardo Salusse, went to Parque São Jorge and delivered the project's non-binding letter of intent to the president of Corinthians, Osmar Stabile, and to the president of the club’s Deliberative Council, Romeu Tuma Júnior.

The meeting was documented and published on SAFiel’s social media. According to the initiative’s statement, the meeting lasted about three hours and had a cordial atmosphere.

Romeu Tuma Jr. reportedly said he would take the proposal to the legal and compliance departments and other internal bodies of Corinthians. Additionally, he committed to inviting the project’s representatives to present SAFiel’s ideas to interested council members, on a date to be scheduled.

Read SAFiel’s statement:

“The representatives of SAFiel, Carlos Teixeira and Eduardo Salusse, personally delivered today (10/29) to the president of the Corinthians Council, Dr. Romeu Tuma Jr., and to the president of Corinthians, Osmar Stabile, the project’s Non-Binding Letter of Intent.

The presidents expressed their thanks, asked for some clarifications, and made comments. The meeting lasted about three hours and was very cordial. Dr. Romeu Tuma Jr. said he will submit the proposal letter to the Legal, Compliance, and other internal departments. He also committed to inviting SAFiel for a presentation to all council members and interested parties, on a date to be set. He made it clear that the immediate focus is the club’s statutory update, a statement with which the SAFiel representatives agreed.

During this period, SAFiel will continue to publicize and clarify the project to all interested parties.”

SAFiel was officially launched last Tuesday, at an event held at Pacaembu. The project’s founders intended to deliver the proposal to Osmar Stabile, who did not attend the ceremony last Tuesday, claiming a full schedule.

In recent hours, Romeu Tuma and Stabile were pressed to receive SAFiel’s proposal, as its creators claimed to have encountered barriers to bringing the project up for discussion at Parque São Jorge.

What is SAFiel?

Conceived by Carlos Teixeira, Maurício Chamati, Eduardo Salusse, and Lucas Brasil, SAFiel envisions transforming Corinthians into a SAF (Sociedade Anônima do Futebol), with professional management, run by the fans. Corinthians supporters could buy shares at affordable prices and vote for council 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 club’s social association.

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

How would the investment work?

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

To acquire shares, interested parties 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, to avoid concentration of power, in addition to other safeguards. Those 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 Corinthians’ football and social headquarters. The creators state they are basing this on studies and believe the shares tend to appreciate over time.

Is it viable?

The topic of SAF, although still facing 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 a SAF. The document, however, imposes some conditions that, according to SAFiel’s creators, hinder the model they propose.

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