Meet Alexandre Leitão, the new CEO of Athletico

Experience in a major league, market vision, experience in entities such as CBF and FIFA, training and vast CV in business administration and marketing. The attributes belong to the new CEO of Athletico, Alexandre Leitão50 years.

The president Mario Celso Petraglia said, in his last interview, that he has not yet been able to find a successor for his management of the club, but he seems to have found a name that will help him in several areas and who he trusts to give carte blanche within Furacão.

“Alexandre received other proposals from SAF’s in Brazil, but he was looking for a project that matched his ideal and the things he has and thinks about football. And I think that, if he is accepting Athletico’s invitation, it is because he found this in these conversations he had with Petraglia and Athletico“, says Diogo Kotscho, communications, marketing and business consultant and, for many years, a colleague of Leitão.

Kotscho worked with Alexandre Leitão at Ambev, Octagon and also for four years at Orlando City. Having been a partner for so long, the specialist knows Athletico’s new “strongman” very well.

“Alexandre is an extremely intelligent guy. Extremely easy to deal with. A guy very connected with the world of football. He speaks confidently with big executives, presidents of entities and with fans in the same way. So, Alexandre can deal with everyone you steakholders of football very well”, he declares.

“That was something that always caught my attention. He could sit at FIFA, at CBF, with the same naturalness that he sometimes attended to his own fans. He is a very experienced executive in big negotiations and with investors. For a club like Athletico, who will experience a moment of transformation in SAF, to talk to these big football investors, Alexandre is a very cool name”, he states.

Almost 30 years of experience in football business

Graduated in Administration from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Alexandre Leitão Specialized in Marketing at Harvard. In professional experience, the new Atletico CEO has relationships and knowledge in several areas of football. For almost 10 years, from 1994 to 2003, he was an executive at Ambev, taking care of all the company’s sponsorship of the Brazilian National Team – during Ricardo Teixeira’s period. For this reason, he has close relationships with the highest authority in Brazilian football.

Later, Leitão founded B2S, a sports marketing agency, which was bought by Octagon, the largest company in the world in the field. There he was president for more than four years until he was hired by the Orlando Citytaking over as CEO in 2015. His move to the club took place after businessman Flavio Augusto da Silva bought the Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise.

Under the Brazilian’s leadership, the American club underwent a series of changes and leveraged its brand internationally. During the period, the Lions They changed stadiums, moving from the Florida Citrus Bowl to Exploria Stadium – a place intended only for playing football. The CEO also participated in the creation of Orlando Pride, a women’s team, and was crucial in the signing of renowned athletes, such as Brazilian stars Kaká and Marta.

Leitão left the Florida club last year after the Wilf family, which also controls the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings, took over management. Since then, the executive went on a sabbatical and had been providing consultancy to the American league and major investors.

What Alexandre Leitão thinks and how he can fit into Athletico and Petraglia’s vision

Alexandre Leitão recently had his name mentioned as CEO of both groups (Liga Forte Futebol and Libra) that are trying to set up a football league in Brazil. In addition to all his management experience, the Brazilian has a strategic vision of MLS that could help in the creation of the new championship. The fact that he has never worked or been assigned to any Brazilian club – until now – would also make it easier.

The executive has always made it clear that he does not intend to transform national football, but rather to leverage the product that is already well established internationally. On his Twitter, Leitão often shares his ideas for improvements in the local market. The expert also praised the attacker Victor Roquewhich if resigned from Athletico last week.

“We have a huge possibility in our hands. The Brazilian market has a capacity, a condition, today to be much larger than it already is. And to actually be among the biggest leagues in the world. But it goes through the people who are in charge. They need to understand how they want to be part of the history of football in Brazil, whether it is by those who managed to restructure a product and grow, or those who failed in the main opportunity that football has ever had”, said Leitão in a recent interview with GoalTV, a channel specializing in consultancy and assistance in managing the sports market.

“And it involves you looking at the product. Governance, innovation and impeccable execution. Three important pillars. It’s understanding your fan, what they need. The American does this a lot. Thinking doesn’t just have to be in the stadium, it has to be from the moment he buys the ticket. ‘Is it easy to buy? Is it easy to park? To buy popcorn and soda?’ Today there is a discussion about the league, how the money will be distributed, etc., but are we looking at a way to make a leap in quality in Brazilian football or just in anticipation of receivables?”, he added.

Athletico has been led by Petraglia for a long time as a product. Since 2018, more specifically, Hurricane made the rebranding with changing the shield, defining the 4 winds, creating its own TV, among other innovative steps taken by the club. The next step is the creation and sale of the Sociedade Anônima do Futebol (SAF).

Diogo Kostcho believes that Alexandre Leitão can fit very well with Athletico and with the visions of the red-and-black president. Petraglia and Leitão have even been talking for a long time. Hurricane was awaiting all the bureaucratic procedures of the elections and should announce it soon.

“I think so. And they [Petraglia e Leitão] they have respected each other for a long time. Athletico himself was a partner of Orlando City for a long time, Léo Pereira is an example. This was all a partnership. So, they already have a long-standing relationship of mutual respect. And Orlando City’s structure itself is very similar to Athletico’s, because the model was used here. It has always been a club that innovated a lot, a club that invested a lot in infrastructure, youth categories. They look a lot alike and it’s not by chance, it’s because the Athletico example was commonly used here within this partnership”, he recalls.

“Athletico itself and the league in which Athletico is in benefit greatly from having Alexandre. His experience to take the club to a prominent position in negotiations in a possible league. It is difficult to have a Brazilian executive with so much experience in football and, mainly, in professional leagues. It’s a name that will be heard by everyone”, adds Diogo Kotscho.

Leitão then arrives at Athletico to work in a more organizational way within the club. The tendency is for Alexandre Mattos to continue as Business CEO – he is targeting other Brazilian clubs and could leave Furacão. In addition, Rubro-Negro will hire a football director to work directly with the players on a daily basis and in the search for signings for 2024.