Union for the good of football in Rio de Janeiro
Presidents of Fla, Vasco, Botafogo and Flu explained that Clube dos 13 no longer negotiates on their behalf
By From the official website team - in
The four presidents of Flamengo (Patricia Amorim), Botafogo (Mauricio Assumpção), Fluminense (Peter Siemsen) and Vasco (Roberto Dinamite) gave a press conference this Thursday (24.02), in a hotel, in Barra da Tijuca, and explained that they do not intend to leave, at first, the Club of 13. All directors highlighted the union in favor of a common goal: to negotiate the best broadcasting contract for the Brazilian Championship in the coming years.
At the start of the press conference, an official statement (see below) was read by the president of Botafogo. In it, the directors explained that the action announced this Thursday is not politically motivated. The clubs came together after realizing they shared common concerns about the negotiation of the broadcast contract proposed by the Club of 13. Therefore, the four major Rio clubs officially disavowed the institution from negotiating any contracts on their behalf.
With the authority to speak on any subject concerning Flamengo, president Patricia Amorim explained that the Rubro-negro will seek the best for itself, even negotiating together with its Rio de Janeiro brothers.
"Flamengo is very comfortable with this movement. What was lost in the Club of 13 was its essence. It was created and still exists today to defend the interests of the clubs. Rio de Janeiro, once again at the forefront, realized its strength and, despite its differences on the field, came together to demand its rights collectively. After all, with four heads thinking, we will have less chance of error," said Patricia, explaining what the Rio clubs want.
"We want to better understand and participate more actively in this process (selling broadcast rights). To do this, we will set up two fronts: a legal front, which will provide the foundation for our actions, and a marketing front, which will seek out those interested in broadcasting our games. We do have different interests, but we will negotiate together."
Before closing, the Fluminense president explained that there's no vanity if one club ends up earning more than the other. After all, everything decided will be scientifically based.
"It's not about choosing a broadcaster or net value. The round of negotiations is yet to begin. It's important to point out that there is currently a division of quotas at the Club of 13 that we disagree with. To define these quotas, there should be scientific parameters, such as audience and pay-per-view purchases. We want that. From now on, these technical teams (legal and marketing) will manage the entire process. And if Flamengo is going to earn more, it will be because it has been proven that it deserves more," he concluded.
Check the full statement:
"The four clubs with the largest fan base in Rio de Janeiro met on February 22nd and decided to announce their joint decision to take an independent position from the Club of 13, especially with regard to the movements related to broadcasting rights for football competitions in our country.
We would also like to add that, at times, specific issues like this create conditions for expanding reflection related to the aspects that unite Vasco, Botafogo, Flamengo and Fluminense through their broad common interests.
The new management style adopted by football clubs, which for the most part have sought to reconcile the pressure for results with managerial and administrative rationality, the establishment of a permanent calendar by the CBF and the growing attractiveness of competitions, has generated an undeniable and growing increase in the credibility of the football product in our country.
The increase in revenues obtained through the commercialization of broadcasting rights, as well as the significant appreciation of other assets, such as uniform sponsorship, advertising properties and product licensing, undeniably profitable by Brazilian TV, has significantly strengthened the clubs' total revenue.
Specifically regarding the Brazilian Football Championship, after years of successive unsuccessful experiments, a broadcast model was adopted in 2008 that included, in addition to broadcast television, restricted broadcasts based on the pay-per-view model. It's worth noting that this product has been growing at a rate of over 25% per year over the last four years, generating significant additional revenue for the clubs. Preserving this successful model and improving it are in the interest of the major brands in Rio de Janeiro football.
It should be noted, on the other hand, that the Club of 13, for some time now, has stopped systematically playing the role that motivated its creation, that is, actively representing its members in all spheres of Brazilian public administration and, notably, before the bodies responsible for managing football in Brazil and on the South American continent.
The complex financial and economic landscape facing football clubs is well known, and we believe that a representative body for these major clubs in the country should lead a veritable crusade with the established government to stem the bleeding caused by labor, civil, and tax liens—a true scourge that tends to cripple our organizations. All this despite the fact that it is absolutely imperative that we assume unequivocal responsibility for the financial commitments we make to our clubs.
It is also necessary for a true awareness, which should be provoked by an active leadership in tune with the reality of the clubs, to make everyone understand that the clubs play a vital role in the training of athletes of all sports, including Olympic ones, practicing social responsibility, long before this noble activity is foreseen in the strategic planning of companies.
And what do we gain from this? Disjointed, we see our athletes being led to the end of their sports and civic development by companies whose sole commitment is to showcase their brands and products.
We are living in a historic moment. The imminent hosting of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil cannot be wasted by our organizations. Clubs must seize this opportunity, as stadiums across the country, both those to be used by FIFA and others currently undergoing modernization, will certainly create the conditions to raise ticket sales, advertising, promotions, and event revenues to a previously unimaginable level.
This entire environment will trigger a fundamental phenomenon for the clubs' interests. Revenue from uniform sponsorships should see significant growth, provided they are properly broadcast on Brazilian television. Similarly, revenue from the sale of broadcast rights should also grow significantly.
We therefore understand that the time has come to strengthen the logic that has prevailed in Brazilian football in recent years, especially with regard to the broadcasting of our games. This seems to us to be the best path forward. Common sense must prevail, otherwise we risk jeopardizing all the progress achieved, resulting from the combined effort of the clubs, the state federations, the CBF, and our commercial partners."
At the start of the press conference, an official statement (see below) was read by the president of Botafogo. In it, the directors explained that the action announced this Thursday is not politically motivated. The clubs came together after realizing they shared common concerns about the negotiation of the broadcast contract proposed by the Club of 13. Therefore, the four major Rio clubs officially disavowed the institution from negotiating any contracts on their behalf.
With the authority to speak on any subject concerning Flamengo, president Patricia Amorim explained that the Rubro-negro will seek the best for itself, even negotiating together with its Rio de Janeiro brothers.
"Flamengo is very comfortable with this movement. What was lost in the Club of 13 was its essence. It was created and still exists today to defend the interests of the clubs. Rio de Janeiro, once again at the forefront, realized its strength and, despite its differences on the field, came together to demand its rights collectively. After all, with four heads thinking, we will have less chance of error," said Patricia, explaining what the Rio clubs want.
"We want to better understand and participate more actively in this process (selling broadcast rights). To do this, we will set up two fronts: a legal front, which will provide the foundation for our actions, and a marketing front, which will seek out those interested in broadcasting our games. We do have different interests, but we will negotiate together."
Before closing, the Fluminense president explained that there's no vanity if one club ends up earning more than the other. After all, everything decided will be scientifically based.
"It's not about choosing a broadcaster or net value. The round of negotiations is yet to begin. It's important to point out that there is currently a division of quotas at the Club of 13 that we disagree with. To define these quotas, there should be scientific parameters, such as audience and pay-per-view purchases. We want that. From now on, these technical teams (legal and marketing) will manage the entire process. And if Flamengo is going to earn more, it will be because it has been proven that it deserves more," he concluded.
Check the full statement:
"The four clubs with the largest fan base in Rio de Janeiro met on February 22nd and decided to announce their joint decision to take an independent position from the Club of 13, especially with regard to the movements related to broadcasting rights for football competitions in our country.
We would also like to add that, at times, specific issues like this create conditions for expanding reflection related to the aspects that unite Vasco, Botafogo, Flamengo and Fluminense through their broad common interests.
The new management style adopted by football clubs, which for the most part have sought to reconcile the pressure for results with managerial and administrative rationality, the establishment of a permanent calendar by the CBF and the growing attractiveness of competitions, has generated an undeniable and growing increase in the credibility of the football product in our country.
The increase in revenues obtained through the commercialization of broadcasting rights, as well as the significant appreciation of other assets, such as uniform sponsorship, advertising properties and product licensing, undeniably profitable by Brazilian TV, has significantly strengthened the clubs' total revenue.
Specifically regarding the Brazilian Football Championship, after years of successive unsuccessful experiments, a broadcast model was adopted in 2008 that included, in addition to broadcast television, restricted broadcasts based on the pay-per-view model. It's worth noting that this product has been growing at a rate of over 25% per year over the last four years, generating significant additional revenue for the clubs. Preserving this successful model and improving it are in the interest of the major brands in Rio de Janeiro football.
It should be noted, on the other hand, that the Club of 13, for some time now, has stopped systematically playing the role that motivated its creation, that is, actively representing its members in all spheres of Brazilian public administration and, notably, before the bodies responsible for managing football in Brazil and on the South American continent.
The complex financial and economic landscape facing football clubs is well known, and we believe that a representative body for these major clubs in the country should lead a veritable crusade with the established government to stem the bleeding caused by labor, civil, and tax liens—a true scourge that tends to cripple our organizations. All this despite the fact that it is absolutely imperative that we assume unequivocal responsibility for the financial commitments we make to our clubs.
It is also necessary for a true awareness, which should be provoked by an active leadership in tune with the reality of the clubs, to make everyone understand that the clubs play a vital role in the training of athletes of all sports, including Olympic ones, practicing social responsibility, long before this noble activity is foreseen in the strategic planning of companies.
And what do we gain from this? Disjointed, we see our athletes being led to the end of their sports and civic development by companies whose sole commitment is to showcase their brands and products.
We are living in a historic moment. The imminent hosting of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil cannot be wasted by our organizations. Clubs must seize this opportunity, as stadiums across the country, both those to be used by FIFA and others currently undergoing modernization, will certainly create the conditions to raise ticket sales, advertising, promotions, and event revenues to a previously unimaginable level.
This entire environment will trigger a fundamental phenomenon for the clubs' interests. Revenue from uniform sponsorships should see significant growth, provided they are properly broadcast on Brazilian television. Similarly, revenue from the sale of broadcast rights should also grow significantly.
We therefore understand that the time has come to strengthen the logic that has prevailed in Brazilian football in recent years, especially with regard to the broadcasting of our games. This seems to us to be the best path forward. Common sense must prevail, otherwise we risk jeopardizing all the progress achieved, resulting from the combined effort of the clubs, the state federations, the CBF, and our commercial partners."