President says Santos had a ‘hole’ of R$65 million

The president Marcelo Teixeira he spoke about Santos’ financial situation – worsened after falling to Series B in the Brazilian Championship – and pointed out a “hole” of R$65 million last season alone. The interview was for ge.globo.

“Just from the previous season we have a hole of R$65 million. It’s a huge volume and a very serious situation. […] Now we have to look for solutions to find financial resources to meet this commitment. We have the priority of paying salary commitments and taxes, we have also had a certain tolerance and patience on the part of creditors. The financial and legal departments have been clear to fulfill these commitments within the dialogue.”

“The objective is to pay off these debts. In parallel to this, Santos seeks to increase its revenues even with the drop to Series B. We have the aggravating factor of having our budget cut in half due to relegation. If we had placed 16th in the Brasileirão do Last year, we would have received an award. We received nothing and ended up with a reduced quota. It’s difficult math to balance expenses. We are working so that Santos finds, in the medium term, a balance.”

Payroll cut

“In 2023, considering charges, we had a payroll of approximately R$20 million. This Tuesday (20), our payroll is around R$8 million. This is the target to be achieved. It is a relatively high value for the Series B dispute. We intended for the salary to be, at most, between R$5 million and R$6 million, but there was not only the need to replace a new squad, but also to negotiate players who were there last year.”

Repatriate Neymar

“It’s not up to us. Santos is following Neymar’s situation closely. He has a two-year contract with Al-Hilal, there was a fatal injury and I don’t know if he will extend the contract. In the conversation I had with him, I understood that an extension is possible. We are following these negotiations and negotiations to find out when he will be free to resolve his return to Brazil. If that is the case, before that, we will design a project for his return to Brazil. It doesn’t just depend on Santos, It also depends on the player’s will.

Goals for 2024

“The first is to do well in Paulista and reach the decision, and the second is to ensure that Santos has a good development in a competition that is totally atypical for us, which is Series B. Most of the athletes have never played, it is a challenge for us, something totally different from what the history of Santos is.”

Higher cast than 2023

“I dare to say that if we had a squad like this in previous years we wouldn’t be in the situation we are in from a sporting aspect.”

Negotiations

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