(photo: Alexandre Guzanshe/EM/DAPress)
Acquired by Pedro Lourenço on April 29, Cruzeiro’s Sociedade Anônima do Futebol (SAF) was officially sold to PBW Sports Participações LTDA. But after all, who are the partners of the company that bought 90% of the club’s shares that belonged to Tara Sports Brasil, linked to Ronaldo Fenômeno? The portal On Attack gives the answer below.
Interestingly, the new owner of SAF Celeste has no legal connection with Pedrinho, as he is affectionately called by Cruzeirenses. According to a consultation with the Federal Revenue Service, PBW’s CNPJ is linked to the children of the owner of the Supermercados BH chain and a third member.
Pedro Junio de Oliveira, Lourenço’s eldest son, and Bruno Santos de Oliveira, middle son, share a partnership with Waldir Rocha Pena. The latter is also a shareholder in Supermercados BH.
Pedrinho’s firstborn will be the only one with a role at SAF da Raposa. Pedro Junio will help Alexandre Mattos coordinate the club’s football department, but in a less direct way.
Since when has PBW been on the market?
PBW began operating on the market on January 25, 2023, when it was registered with the IRS. The company was already ‘born’ indirectly linked to Cruzeiro, as it is headquartered in the building where the club’s administrative headquarters were located, on Rua dos Timbiras, in Barro Preto, in Belo Horizonte.
The space has been used as the human resources headquarters of Supermercados BH since October 2021. In addition to seeing a good business opportunity, Lourenço rented the eight-story building to try to help Cruzeiro alleviate the financial crisis.
He paid R$9 million to Cruzeiro for the entire contract period, which was signed until 2031. The Minas Gerais club used the funds to pay off late salaries for athletes and employees.
Sale of SAF do Cruzeiro
The contract for the sale of SAF shares was signed by Lourenço and Ronaldo on April 29, at Toca da Raposa 2, in BH. The deal values were not officially disclosed by the club due to a confidentiality clause.
However, the report found out from a source linked to the club’s new owner that the operation was finalized at R$500 million, with R$100 million already being paid in advance last year. The amount will not be paid up front to the former player.
Pedrinho will have a ‘grace’ of until the end of the year to start paying, which will be paid in installments. The businessman will have until 2035 to pay off all debts with the Tara.
Although he is already acting as manager of the club-company, the businessman is waiting for the operation to be approved by the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE). According to Gabriel Lima, CEO of Cruzeiro, the process will be completed in just over a month.
Ronaldo will still be required to participate in the SAF board of directors for another two and a half years.
