Ponte Preta is facing a critical situation following the rejection of the SAF by its members. The club, burdened by millions in debt and salary arrears, is desperately seeking a way out to avoid insolvency.
The crisis plaguing Moisés Lucarelli Stadium has reached an extremely severe level. Following last Saturday’s Extraordinary General Assembly, Ponte Preta‘s legal director, José Henrique Specie, minced no words in describing the club’s current situation. With the rejection of the SAF project by the members, the *alvinegra* board admits that options to salvage the club’s financial health are becoming increasingly scarce.
The vote, which required a two-thirds quorum of those present to approve the management model, ended in frustration due to opposition mobilization. The outcome left *Macaca* in an administrative limbo, while external pressure from creditors and internal pressure from employees and athletes continue to grow day by day.
The Burden of Debt and Financial Impact
Ponte Preta‘s accounting reality is one of the biggest obstacles to its management. Recent audits revealed a consolidated debt of R$ 320 million, not including IPTU (property tax) debts, in addition to a monthly operational deficit of R$ 2.8 million.
Leonardo Jardim stated:
“The club, as is publicly known, not just by its members, is experiencing a very sensitive financial situation, a state of practically near-insolvency. There isn’t much of a way out.”
According to the legal director, the debt is an accumulation from past administrations, but it has now reached the limit of enforcement, suffocating the cash available for basic expenses.
Impact on the Squad and Uncertain Future
The scarcity of resources has directly impacted the football department. With salary arrears that, in specific cases, approach a year, the club has seen an exodus of almost 20 players since the start of the Série B season. Even with sporadic attempts by the board to settle part of the debts, the atmosphere remains unstable.
With the SAF project paralyzed, the board will have to restart statutory procedures from scratch if it decides to insist on the proposal. This implies forming a new commission, obtaining opinions from councils, and calling a new assembly. As the political impasse persists, Ponte Preta continues its fight for financial survival, under the constant shadow of negative records on the field and the fear of an unprecedented administrative collapse.
Equipe M360
