São Paulo FC faces internal dispute over Ticketmaster contract

São Paulo Futebol Clube is facing an internal political and financial crisis regarding a proposed contract with Ticketmaster for managing MorumBis stadium ticketing. The deal involves a R$ 110 million loan to be repaid over five years, plus R$ 30 million for VIP box management, totaling R$ 140 million intended to settle outstanding player salaries and image rights.

Olten Ayres, President of the Deliberative Council, has created a commission to analyze the contract following formal challenges from NewC, a competitor in the bidding process. NewC has questioned the technical criteria and transparency of the selection. In response, club president Harry Massis Júnior criticized the move as a political attempt to obstruct a necessary financial solution, claiming NewC failed to provide a formal, comparable proposal during the bidding phase.

The club's financial situation is reportedly strained due to a billion-real debt and lower-than-expected revenue from player sales, exacerbated by the closing of European transfer windows. Massis has warned that without the urgent approval of this revenue anticipation, the club will struggle to meet its financial obligations to the squad.