O Brasil e a transformação de associações desportivas sem fins lucrativos em sociedades anônimas do futebol: impactos jurídicos e socioeconômicos das mudanças

Abstract

The research investigated the transformation of non-profit sports associations into football corporations (SAF) in Brazil, seeking to understand the legal and socioeconomic impacts of this change. With the enactment of Law No. 14,193 in 2021, which introduced the SAF model, the aim was to modernize clubs' financial management and attract private investments while keeping in mind the sport's social and cultural implications. The methodology used was a narrative bibliographic review, which allowed for the analysis of the legal, economic, and social context of the transition to this new governance model. The results showed that the transformation of clubs into SAFs brought advances in transparency and management professionalization, with the implementation of strict governance rules and the introduction of financial mechanisms such as debenture issuance. However, significant challenges also emerged, such as clubs losing control to their supporters and disconnection from their community origins. Although the model enabled investment attraction and infrastructure improvement, financial dependence on external investors and resource concentration in large clubs generated inequalities within Brazilian football, harming competitiveness. The analysis also highlighted the cultural transformation of clubs, which, when viewed as companies, may weaken football's social function by prioritizing profits over social and educational aspects. In the long term, the transformation's success will depend on implementing effective regulations that ensure clubs' financial sustainability without compromising their social ties and function. In summary, the SAF model brought advances in governance and management but also imposed economic and social challenges that require a balance between profit and social responsibility to ensure a sustainable and competitive future for Brazilian football.