Flamengo’s Stance Illustrates Shortcomings of Brazilian Soccer Clubs

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazilian and Libertadores Cup champion and holder of the largest fan base in Brazil, Flamengo has dominated the news in recent days for less successful events. The club that most pressured for the return of soccer in the first weeks of the novel coronavirus pandemic is now struggling with an outbreak in its squad – and with an image crisis.

More than twenty players and staff returned from a trip to Ecuador infected, which raised concerns about a match with Palmeiras scheduled for Sunday for the Brazilian Championship. During the flight back from Ecuador, a picture of the unmasked team sparked criticism on social media. Club president Rodolfo Landim, first claimed that he removes his mask to take pictures while “holding his breath”. Then, he dismissed the employee who took the picture.

Landim is a former oil industry executive and is part of the group of leaders who pulled Flamengo out of its financial crisis. With sound corporate management practices, they toppled the club’s debt and turned Flamengo into the first team with billion-plus revenues in Brazilian soccer. They won every possible title on the field.

The problem, according to Amir Somoggi, partner of SportsValue sports consultancy, is that recent events show that the club with the most dynamic management in Brazil is disconnected from the world. “Brazilian soccer is misaligned with the latest developments in the corporate world. A European club or an American franchise has already realized that you can’t only have financial balance. Corporate responsibility is required, to look at the UN’s sustainable goals. Help your neighbor, be respectful of your opponent. And not push society to the wrong side,” he says.

Amir defends that clubs should embrace what a growing group of companies have been adopting, ESG (environmental, social, and governance) practices. It is a way of looking at business beyond profit, looking at its impact on society.

“What happens today is that Brazilian clubs are geared to what is more outdated. Over the past six, seven months they have not made a digital transformation, nor produced new media content. All they wanted was for soccer to return, and now they want the public back in the stadiums,” he says.

“How are we going to restart the return of public to stadiums with this death rate from the pandemic Brazil is still experiencing? In Germany and Poland, where the public began to return, the death rates are much lower than in Brazil. Brazilian soccer does not care about good practices.”

Flamengo’s stance shows yet another great problem of national soccer, according to the consultant. Clubs lack a collective organization to value the championship, as in the major American leagues. Around here, clubs with the most fans push for better TV contracts and leave others adrift, thereby undermining the competition.

“Soccer doesn’t deserve any favors, thinking it can do what it wants, with the fans’ support, who have different standards for soccer than for other fronts,” he says. ” Youths today are distant from the clubs, as are sponsors. Consumers are increasingly demanding and will no longer accept this kind of attitude from clubs, the lack of social and environmental perspective.”

Source: Exame

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