Fabio Juppa - The Globe

LEONARDO: WILLING to be one of the investors of a new Fla

Leonardo was behind the wheel in Italy when he answered the call. To talk about Flamengo, he asked for a minute to pull over to the side of the road, take off his jacket, and loosen his tie. The subject brings a lump to his throat. Despite the distance that separates him from the day-to-day life of the Rio de Janeiro club, he says he feels "very much part of it." On the eve of the Rio Cup final, and perhaps even the fight for another three-peat, the former Flamengo player arrived in Brazil. The conversation continued, and his words were harsh, despite the moment. The moment, according to him, calls for discernment, as a new achievement cannot avoid breaking with a failed management model that, while not threatening Flamengo's existence, has made it unviable as an investment. Leonardo's solution is radical, as he himself proclaims: "Open the club. Sell Flamengo."

Flamengo is having a turbulent year, but it's about to win another title. Wouldn't a victory mask the gravity of the situation?

LEONARDO: Victory is in Flamengo's DNA, born to produce glory. We're rooting for them, but it's important to remember that their current management is completely flawed. To ensure the club's future sustainability, changes are needed.

Is the situation irreversible?

LEONARDO: It's a system that can no longer survive, because today there's no way to inject what Flamengo needs most: money. It has public and private debt, no credit, and no leadership. All the leadership that has passed through the club has been exhausted, and a new one will only emerge by destroying the current one. This structure was a winner; it can't just be hammered, but it can no longer survive. It won, it thrilled, it generated money, but today it can't, and it won't. We say that Flamengo is the brand, and what does it produce? Debt, sporting failure, and confusion. You have to be humble, right?

How would the change happen?

LEONARDO: There are two paths: the first is for the government to intervene, as happened in England, Spain, and Portugal, even though Brazil has no policy for this. Faced with bankrupt associations, the government said: either you transform into something, or you'll end, because the members will have to bear the burden. The second is my proposal: open the club, sell Flamengo. What is Flamengo? A great brand, the biggest in Brazil, a federative right to compete in a championship, and its assets, which are the passion of 38 million people. The rest can't even be considered, because, as capital, it's negligible.

But is it possible to sell?

LEONARDO: Anything is possible. You can call it a sale, transfer of image rights, transfer of federation rights—there are many ways. The truth is that there will be independent management, where someone can invest money, do the math, win or lose, and move forward, but they will always have their greatest asset: the fans.

But you talk exclusively about football?

LEONARDO: This is a cultural issue. What needs to exist is a sustainable structure. Football is what generates revenue. The brand will be ceded to a company that will manage it as a football team. Today, everything that happens at Flamengo is based on friendship. It's the guy who's friends with Nike, Petrobras, who gives me a hand here, advances me there, the CBF gives a little help, and things move forward. This way, it's difficult to clean up a club with its debt. Professionalization doesn't mean hiring people. It's about building a structure that fits the market. Today, Flamengo is out of the market.

Can't the fan's reaction be negative?

LEONARDO: Fans will initially wonder: Are they going to sell my passion? But who is Flamengo in today's hands? It's in the hands of a corrupt structure, of people who make a living from it, of agents who profit from player sales. Parmalat owned Palmeiras for ten years, but there wasn't a statute stating it; it was agreed upon. Unimed practically owns Fluminense, buying and selling players, doing everything, and Fluminense gets a percentage. It's a reversal of values.

What would the process be like?

LEONARDO: Flamengo has already considered this, but always maintaining its membership association as the majority shareholder of the company. I'm talking about something radical, where you eliminate what's happening. The directors, who shaped the club's history for better or worse, and have been there for 30 years, would be the salespeople. The club is in their hands; they can pilot the transformation.

Do you see yourself participating in this process?

LEONARDO: All of them (the directors) call me to come back and be president, or they get other people to call. I'll never be president of this structure, the Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, a non-profit association. Now, if it's put up for sale, I'll try to put the pieces back together. I might not be able to, but I'll try. And if I can't, someone else can. They say Flamengo is a nation, but administratively, it belongs to no one. Because the institution is fragile, players are just passing through. People do whatever they want. There's no one at the club capable of leading a new model. So, the time has come: quit and leave.