Sérgio Malucelli reveals disappointment with Londrina and says about SAF: “They delivered the club”

The final stretch of 2023 marked the end of the long partnership between the businessman Sergio Malucelli and the London. The relationship began in 2011, with Tubarão sunk in labor debts, without money and on the verge of extinction.

Between ups and downs, the partnership between the country club and SM Sports yielded a Second Division title in Paraná, two elite State titles, the conquest of the Primeira Liga, in addition to the team’s return to the national scene, with access to the Series D to Series B.

Last season, the relationship, whose contract ran until 2025, did not withstand the wear and tear of relegation to Series C and Londrina’s search for a new investor for the club’s SAF.

“I wasn’t hurt. But I left upset”, confesses Malucelli, in an interview with OneTwo Sports.

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For the football businessman, the fight for the company’s money Strong Football League (LFF) was essential for the failure on the field. As well as the stance of the club’s board of directors in the sale negotiations of the London Football Association (SAF).

“I was upset with some people on the board. But life goes on”, reinforces the manager, who from 2024 will provide consultancy on the Cascavel project. Check out the full interview with Sérgio Malucelli.

Was the drop to Series C a determining factor in the deterioration of the partnership?

The drop to Series C had several reasons. For me, the biggest thing was the fight over the League’s money. It was essential for the team to fall. We had already accepted entry into the League, through an invitation from Mario Celso Petraglia. We participate in all meetings.

How did this money situation happen in the Strong Football League?

In February last year, I called the board to say that we had signed with Liga Forte, and that a fee would be included. They then held meetings and said that the money would not be from us, from football, but from the club. Then you lose heart. Why would you invest knowing that people are messing with you?

And this was reflected in the campaign on the field…

We lost enthusiasm even when hiring. Londrina, at that moment, didn’t want to take the League’s money. And then the fight started. They wanted to terminate the contract. Then you start letting go, abandoning it. Without this money, it was difficult to reinforce the squad.

Last season, Londrina also began to articulate the sale of SAF. How did these negotiations take place?

During the break in the fight for the League’s money, Londrina already started looking for people to buy SAF. The Bellintani [Guilherme Bellintani, ex-presidente do Bahia e líder da empresa Squadra, que teve proposta de compra da SAF aprovada pelo Londrina] made us a proposal. Then he left my office and went straight to talk to Londrina and agreed with them.

Were you upset by the way these issues were handled?

I had contact with Bellintani when he was at CT, and he simply disappeared and went to negotiate directly with Londrina. And today they are still in my CT. In other words, I continue helping, so I’m not hurt. I am upset.

In football, you see former athletes who did so much for a club not even being honored. So I wasn’t hurt. I was upset with some people on the board because of the way things were done. But life goes on.

Have you ever thought about leaving the club?

The initial contract was for ten years. I had said I wasn’t going to continue. Then people came to me, asking me to please come back, because there wasn’t even a team to start Paranaense. I arrived and there wasn’t even a registered player.

And what will the CT issue be like?

The CT is ours, it is private. I didn’t rent it to Londrina. I loaned it out for free, with the club only paying staff salaries and operating expenses. I borrowed until March 30th. And then they will have to leave CT. The idea is to create small schools and basic categories. I’m seeing if I buy a team or build it from scratch. But no interest in going up. It’s just for registering players. As I have now signed a consultancy with Cascavel, it could even be Cascavel.

What about SM Sports players?

I left everyone there in Londrina, to participate in the grassroots competitions. In the professional team itself, there are seven or eight players from our base who are part of the squad. But I have until August to remove them and place them on another team.

What was the turning point of the partnership? And how was the relationship with the fans?

I think until 2018 it was very good, until 2019. Then the pandemic came and everything went downhill. We spent two years without youth teams, the turnaround was very difficult, as it was for everyone. We were already at a high level, expensive payroll and revenue fell. After the competitions returned, the fans themselves no longer went to the stadium. The team didn’t get together and the fans left. We had direct losses per game.

What will the new project in Cascavel be like?

It’s a very organized club, the structure is good. It has two training centers. He recently sold Bitello to Grêmio, he has cash on hand. They are serious people. I have known President Valdinei for years. The first club he visited was Londrina, to copy a lot of our stuff. It has everything to work out. Now, football no one knows the future.

Finally, how do you see the SAF movement in Brazil?

The SAF actually came to clean up the clubs that were broken. Throwing debts forward and who knows when they will pay off. I still have a hard time with all of this. There are many freeloaders. In the case of Londrina, they handed over the club.

The promise is to invest R$100 million in six years. Is nothing. This is the money that will come in from the Strong League. In other words, investors will not invest anything. A different case is that of Athletico. Organized team, which is about to do the SAF with different values. Petraglia said that clubs are being sold for the value of a player and he is right.