A few months ago, Sao Paulo negotiated with a betting house to close a sponsorship deal for R$18 million (US$ 3.45m) but the appearance of another bookmaker generated a competition that raised the value of the contract and brought it to R$27 million (US$5.2m) per year, with chances of reaching R$30m (US$5.75m), that will be signed with Sportsbet.io.
This agreement is enormously relevant since it is the highest in Brazilian football between a club and a bookmaker, and the third most expensive sponsorship in the entire country behind the contract between Palmeiras and Crefisa (R$ 81 million -US$15.5m- per year) and that of Flamengo with BRB (R$32 million -US$6.15m- per year).
The idea of club would be to make the announcement today (8) since this Friday is a holiday in the state and, if the time comes to get the sponsorship signed, the brand could already be displayed on the team's shirt this weekend in the game against Bahia. If it does not happen, the brand's debut will be next week, in a Serie A match against Fortaleza, since there is an agreement with Amazon for two more games, both against Argentina's Racing Club, for the Copa Libertadores, on July13th and 20th.
Negotiations with the British company are closed. Contracts worth more than R$1.5 million (US$290K) must be approved by the SAo Paulo Board of Directors. So far, no documents have been sent to the board members for evaluation.
The site is the master sponsor of Watford and Southampton, who compete in the first division of UK football. The company is also presente on Flamengo's shirt and display its logo at Emirates Stadium, in partnership with Arsenal.
If the agreement is confirmed, Sao Paulo will end a period of five months without a master sponsor. The contract with Banco Inter ended in February and was not renewed. The parties even talked about a renewal, but could not reach an agreement on the values.
Sao Paulo's wish was to achieve more than the R$12 million (US$2.m) paid by Banco Inter. The values offered by sportsbet.io will achieve this goal and help with the club's accounts. Currently, the team that plays at the Morumbi Stadium has a debt of over R$600 million (US$115m).
Source: GMB / UOL
