Atlético-MG has a contract with its master sponsor, Betano, close to ending and is scheduled to end in December 2024. The link was in place since 2021 and, this year, it was extended. At this time, the club has no official renewal proposals and is still negotiating who and how to sponsor the 'Galo' from 2025 onwards.
According to ge and sources linked to the club, the betting companies are in fact the main interested parties in sponsoring 'Galo'. If Betano wants to continue with the contract, it will need to make a "competitive proposal."
According to the report, the black and white team from Minas Gerais is currently in talks with three betting houses: Parimatch (which pays R$27.5 million - US$ 4.8m - to Botafogo), Superbet (pays R$42 million - US$ 7.4m - to Fluminense and R$52 million - US$ 9.1m - to São Paulo) and Bet.bet, which does not have any Brazilian matches in its portfolio.
Other ‘Bets’ are in the running, but the regulation of betting houses in Brazil has made negotiations difficult and delayed. "A market issue," a source explained to the report.
Starting in 2025, the bookmakers will need to comply with the rules that require operators to have licenses in the country and will have to pay taxes. Changes in legislation and the new scenario of uncertainty have, to a certain extent, hampered negotiations, according to people close to the club.
The Betano print has been the most prominent place on 'Galo's' jersey since January 2021, updating the BMG, which was moved to another part of the uniform. The prior agreement was for a one-year contract, with the option for another year. In 2022, there was a renewal and, in February of this year, a new extension of the contract with women's soccer and areas of the MRV Arena included. The club's CEO, Bruno Muzzi, clarified the values at the time.
“It (the contract) increased in value. It went from R$14 million (US$ 2.5m) to R$18 million (US$ 3.2m) annually, in fact. It included sponsorship of women's football and some properties, activations at the Arena (MRV). The correct number is R$14 to R$18 million,” said Bruno Muzzi in an interview.
Atlético has not set a deadline to resolve the sponsorship issue, but Galo wants to define it "as soon as possible." Atlético's sponsorship is below that of Cruzeiro and other clubs. The amount is similar to that of the clubs that were promoted from Série B this year, such as Juventude (R$15 million - US$ 2.6m), Atlético-GO (R$14 million - US$ 2.4m) and Vitória (R$10 million -US$ 1.7m).
In addition to Atlético Mineiro, Betano sponsors several clubs and competitions around the world. In Portugal, it supports FC Porto, SL Benfica and Sporting CP.
In Greece, the company is associated with Apollon Limassol, Apoel, Paok, Panathinaikos and Olympiakos. In the Czech Republic, its partners include Sparta Prague, Dynamo Pardubice and Viktoria Plzen. In Bulgaria, it sponsors Lokomotiv Sofia, while in Romania it supports FCSB. In Peru, it is linked to Melgar.
In addition, Betano has sponsored important competitions, such as Euro 2024 and Copa América 2024.
Source: ge
