The first decisive match for the Campeonato Carioca trophy, won last Sunday, also featured a stunning goal behind the scenes. Flamengo welcomed 27 MBA students from Stanford University. The students from the renowned North American educational institution came on a learning and benchmarking trip to meet with executives from several major companies in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, including the Central Bank.

 

The students came from all over the world: Mexico, Argentina, the USA, England, Spain, India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, China, Japan, and Nigeria, among other countries. The delegation was welcomed in the Maracanã auditorium by Flamengo's Director of Finance, Fernando Goes, Vice President Rodrigo Tostes—both Stanford alumni—and the club's president, Rodolfo Landim. The three presented the Flamengo case study, explaining how Flamengo transformed itself from a club riddled with debt and with few recent titles to the economically strongest in the Americas, consistently competing for titles in its competitions, having won two Libertadores, two Brazilian Championships, and a Copa do Brasil in the space of four years.

 

According to Claudio Guardado, student, co-president of the GSB Soccer Club and the Latin American Student Association and co-organizer of the group, the presentation of Flamengo's case was, for many, the highlight of the trip.

"Our visit with Flamengo was our favorite part of the trip for many students. We learned about the club's unique turnaround with the financial team and President Landim, and I also got to see firsthand how football is experienced at the legendary Maracanã stadium. These Stanford students are now Flamengo fans! As a student passionate about football and business, it's fascinating to see what Flamengo has achieved in recent years with cups and financial results. It's a remarkable story in the sports industry," he said.

The club's CFO, Fernando Goes, noted that the experience was very positive.

 

"It was an honor and also an excellent opportunity for Flamengo, as an institution, to share an important part of its recent history with MBA students from Stanford, one of the most innovative universities in the United States," he concluded.