Reinaldo Carneiro Bastos is the articulator of São Paulo clubs for the creation of the new Brazilian Football League (Libra), which indicates something different from the last four decades. If the president of CBF, Ednaldo Rodrigues, and the leader of the only federation capable of promoting a profitable state, declare themselves in favor of the League, there is evidence of the failure of the current model.
The president of the Paulista Federation speaks even louder: “We have reached the limit”.
A year ago, Reinaldo Carneiro Bastos had another speech. Asked about the end of the state, forced by the possibility of the new League, he replied: “Forget it. The state will not end”.
Today, he answers: “The League will organize the Brazilian Championship in 2025. Until then, the clubs will fulfill all the contracts in force”.
The articulation of Reinaldo Carneiro Bastos helped to unite the five Paulistas from Série A to Flamengo. Today, there is some consensus. That the League should organize a new tournament, one that does not break with history and that projects the future from an economic point of view.
There is also consensus on the equal division of the largest portion of the money and two smaller fractions according to performance and audience. The proposed criteria for understanding the measurement of fan engagement represent an arduous debate. They are important, because the balance will depend on them.
They just cannot stop the process, taking into account the common understanding that wealth will grow, it will be shared more evenly and the championship will be better.
You have to debate. And you have to reach a consensus. As you’ve read here, it’s now or never.
There is, however, one decisive issue for success or failure: timing. The League will be born in 2025. It will be the last year of the contract for Paulista, which promises to make the big clubs in São Paulo raise more than R$ 33 million and Ferroviária earn more than Atlético-MG receives to play Mineiro . So, how will the distribution of dates be done?
Will the big four of São Paulo abandon the state and give up the funds?
It is obvious that an eventual new Brazilian will need to be played for the entire season, from February to November or from September to May. Any regional dispute can only be attended by teams from Series A and B if there are free Wednesdays. Or if the giants play in their states with teams of wannabes.
Hard to believe this if, in fact, Corinthians, Palmeiras, Santos and São Paulo raised more than R$ 30 million. The argument of the president of the Paulista Federation is not to debate this at this time, because it would generate more disagreements than there is.
And there are still many.
At each meeting, there are serious conflicts between leaders who think about football – and the world – in opposite ways. Athletico-PR has heavy restrictions on the way the process is conducted, Fortaleza claims that social networks should not be included in audience debates, because there can be robots and buying followers.
The League has to be born, but it has to be created with an economic, not a political bias, projecting the increase in revenue and international visibility over the next ten years, telling the history of our clubs and the passion of Brazilian stadiums to the world, having the ambition to fill the stands every weekend.
There is nothing more anticlimactic than turning on the TV and seeing the Maracanã empty, even with 20,000 people behind the goal. This Brazilian football has reached the limit. When the president of the São Paulo Federation admits this, it’s because it’s past him.
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