Botafogo’s ‘cousin’ through Textor, Resende projects partnership and defines use of money from the sale of Jeffinho

Jeffinho didn’t imagine it, but when he lifted the Rio Cup trophy last year, he was just giving Resende his first joy. His sale from Botafogo to Lyon, made official this week, will yield 4 million euros (R$ 22.1 million) to the club from the south of the state of Rio, which still held 40% of his economic rights. An amount that goes down in the history of the association and throws the spotlight on the project in operation there.

Although Resende is a sports association, football is managed by Pelé Academia, a project created by the company Gol de Placa Marketing Esportivo and which established a methodology for the youth categories. The focus became the training of talents with a view to selling them in the market. Within this gear, the main team comes as a showcase. Even more so in games like this Thursday, against Vasco, at 7 pm, in São Januário.

— Of the 16 athletes who played in last year’s Rio Cup final, 11 graduated from Pelé Academia. And 70% of the goals scored in the championship were scored by youngsters – says Marcelo Montenegro, marketing director and one of the partners at Gol de Placa.

In 2019, the work gained more strength when Lyon became a partner of Gol de Placa. The partnership involved the establishment of a director of the French club in Resende to participate in the day-to-day and allowed the sharing of knowledge through the exchange of employees on both sides – in addition to injecting money into the program. Finally, the priority in the purchase of revealed talents became the partner’s.

In December, with the acquisition of 77.49% of the ownership of Lyon by Eagle Football Holdings, John Textor automatically entered the business. The first visit of the owner of the Botafogo SAF to Resende is scheduled for the 28th. The tendency is for the two Brazilian clubs to get even closer.

— Strategically, for us it is very good to have a big club in Brazil as a partner, analyzing and evaluating other talents. And for Botafogo and Lyon too, because Resende is located between three major hubs: Rio, São Paulo and Minas Gerais – says Montenegro.

Jeffinho was the biggest, but not the first sale of the Pelé Academia era. Last July, for example, Resende negotiated the transfer of midfielder David Kauã, 17, to Palmeiras. One of the highlights of the São Paulo team in winning the Copa SP this year, the athlete had already shone in the 2022 Carioca under-17 and spent a period at Lyon, who were interested in him. He was not hired by the French due to lack of vacancies for foreigners.

— With the purchase by Textor, which already has Botafogo here, they should stop losing these opportunities due to lack of vacancies — projects Montenegro.

Resende envisions not only a closer relationship with Botafogo, but also the growth of its structure. Today, only a third of the CT is fully operational. According to Montenegro, the R$ 22 million from the sale of Jeffinho will speed up the construction of the rest.

Confrontation in unprecedented condition

The bond with Botafogo will also lead Resende to an unusual situation. The two clubs will face each other for the penultimate round of the Guanabara Cup. It can be decisive for both qualifying for the semifinals and escaping relegation.

Precisely to avoid conflicts of interest, the SAF Law does not allow two Brazilian clubs to have the same owner. But the connection between Textor and Resende is indirect.

— A SAF owner cannot join another club. Be it an SAF or associative. There is a specific rule for this, of incompatibility regimes. It says what the shareholder’s limits are and applies to everyone who has decision-making power – explains Maurício Corrêa da Veiga, president of the sports law commission at the Brazilian Institute of Lawyers.

If it escapes the scrutiny of the law, the new relationship will still be evaluated by the supporters. Mainly from other clubs.

— What a Botafogo player earns is our entire payroll. To give you an idea, Jeffinho earned R$1,500 (monthly) at Resende. Games like this are what these athletes eat. They see it as a war. It’s the big showcase. Do you think they’ll go easy? — argues Marcelo Montenegro.