Atlético-MG is looking for new recipes to continue as a protagonist

Sérgio Batista Coelho was 11 years old when Atlético-MG won its first title in the Brazilian Championship, in December 1971. As a child, the Minas Gerais native from Crucilândia (110 km from Belo Horizonte) followed his father to Mineirão on weekends to see the alvinegra team play.

It was 50 years in the expectation of another achievement of the Nacional. And he was given the role of assuming the presidency of Atlético-MG in the season in which the club ended its half-century wait.

“This fast created a great anxiety. We had a weight on our backs and now we are lighter. The crowd is in high spirits, and all this is very important for the conquest of other titles”, said Coelho in an interview with leaf.

In celebration of the second championship, he tattooed the figure of a rooster, the team’s mascot. A gesture initially made by Rubens Menin, owner of MRV and one of the most committed patrons of the association.

After the euphoria for winning the triple crown in the 2021 season – the team was champion of the State, the Copa do Brasil and the Brazilian, something that only rival Cruzeiro had achieved -, the top hat says that Atlético-MG’s challenge is to continue in the role of protagonist to settle their debts and leverage revenues.

“When you have a protagonist, organized team, fans and sponsors come to trust, and revenue tends to multiply by two, three times. We had this experience in 2021”, said Coelho.

For the year 2022, the club intends to reach a gross revenue of R$ 822 million, according to the budget approved in the meeting of the deliberative council on December 22 – the document underwent an analysis by the consulting and auditing company EY before of the vote.

The amount is twice the budget for the 2021 season, R$ 401 million at the time.

In the plan to achieve this goal (R$ 822 million), the board intends to receive R$ 350 million from the sale of its stake (49.9% of the shares) in the Diamond Mall, managed by the Multiplan chain.

Disregarding the impact of the possible negotiation of equity, the football budget is still R$70 million higher in football for 2022 — R$447 million compared to R$377 million forecast for 2021. complete with stadium audiences, awards and television rights.

Spending on payroll and image rights, among others, will reach BRL 231 million annually in 2022. The amount set aside to cover these expenses in 2021 was BRL 172 million.

The good phase, in the view of the club’s administrators, will supply the cash. Such as leaf showed in September, Atlético-MG’s revenue generation is well below that registered by its main competitors, Flamengo and Palmeiras.

“I don’t want to make comparisons with other clubs, I want to talk about Atlético. It’s necessary to have a protagonist team, and, from that, we manage to multiply revenues”, says the top hat. “At the end of the year, we renewed the contract with the master sponsor [Betano, site de apostas] for three times what was agreed at the start of the season.”

The board does not inform the value of this agreement with Betano. However, as shown in the Itaú BBA report based on the balance sheets for 2020 (those for 2021 are yet to be published), Atlético pocketed BRL 21 million in sponsorship and advertising, while arch-rival Cruzeiro, maintained in the Série B do Brasileiro, snapped up BRL 33 million.

One of the jumps expected by the directors will be for 2023. The inauguration of the MRV Arena is scheduled for May next year, with the expectation of generating an additional R$ 100 million per year with its lease for cultural and corporate events, in addition to the “matchday” (sum of receipts from the box office, supporter-member, commercialization of cabins and sale of club products, food and beverages).

“The team, when it has its own field, earns a lot technically. And the financial part is important. In addition to income, we won’t have to pay rent, which is expensive [entre 15% e 25% da renda com a bilheteria na partida], to play”, says the president.

Coelho is not afraid to say that he only accepted the challenge of presiding over the team, with a liability of R$ 1.2 billion, with the promise that he would have the support of the 4 R’s. That’s what businessmen Rafael Menin and Rubens Menin (from the construction company MRV), Renato Salvador (from the Mater Dei health network) and Ricardo Guimarães (from the BMG bank) are called.

The quartet leads a network of lovers who lend money to the club to fix the finances and reinforce the squad with signings.

“What helped me in managing the club were the people who invited me, known as the 4 R’s. They wanted to help Atlético, but with a person [na presidência] who spoke the same language. I had this characteristic and with my experience I was able to help”, says the top hat.

In exchange for the request made by the patrons, the leader demanded the creation of a collegiate body that brings together the four businessmen, Coelho and his deputy, José Murilo Procópio. According to him, there is no possibility of interference in the management of the team.

“I could not despise the ability, intelligence and knowledge of these people, who own and manage some of the largest companies in Brazil”, explains the director.

Present in the club’s daily life, with appreciation for following football activities, Coelho praises Cuca, who said goodbye after winning the Brasileiro, but is reluctant to appoint him as the main coach in the club’s history.

“He’s one of the greatest coaches Atlético has ever had. I won’t say he’s the greatest, he’s among the greatest.”

Coelho does his best to avoid controversial statements and adopts this tone about his arch-rival. Questioned by leaf about the fact that Ronaldo took over Cruzeiro, he dodges.

“As Atlético’s president, I have so many things to solve… As for the other clubs, it’s not appropriate to make comments, even because I don’t know the contract between them, I don’t know what the clauses are, the payment methods”, says the alvinegro president, firm despite the insistence of the report: “I prefer not to say anything”.