“I didn’t refuse SAF”: Former president of Paraná Clube justifies voting against

In contact with the report OneTwo SportsRubão explained that the vote was, in his view, due to a lack of guarantees from NextPlay. “The meeting was to vote on the Shareholders’ Agreement-SHA and the Purchase and Sale Agreement-SPA. From my point of view, no Real or Fidejussoria Guarantees were presented”, he said.

---

“I did not refuse the SAF. There is a lot of confusion. NextPlay’s binding proposal was approved last year, as stated in the Public Offer Notice filed in December/25, which awaits approval from the Universal Judge. This document is available in the RJ process and on the Judicial Administrator’s website”explained Rubão.

---

The former president also said that he received proposals for the sale of SAF during the period he was in charge and always asked for guarantees. “I highlight that, during my administration, we created the SAF, a mandatory condition for us to request Judicial Reorganization. I could never be against the SAF Institute. I was approached, on several occasions, by groups and companies aiming to ‘buy Paraná’ and I always made it clear that the mandatory condition would be to have a well-structured plan, with guarantees”, he said.

President of Paraná Clube in the year of relegation to the Paranaense Division in 2022 and the failure of access to the elite in 2023, Rubão has 10% of Tricolor’s shares and has already stated that the percentage will be passed on to the Association with the sale of SAF. Finally, Rubão made it clear that “SAF is the salvation of Paraná Clube, but NextPlay did not provide guarantees.

In addition to Rubão, the other vote against the sale of SAF to NextPlay was from Renato Collere, former president of the Board and member of the SAF Committee.

In contact with the report, Collere highlighted that his position is personal and that it is not part of the thinking of other members of the SAF Committee and that it did not issue guidance to vote for or against. “During the Council meeting, I clearly expressed the set of 3 factors and the risks that led to my refusal. In my opinion, the factors lead to very high risks. For reasons of confidentiality (as I was part of the SAF Committee and am a Councilor) I cannot express these factors and risks”, said Collere.

“Naturally, I respect the decision and I know that there are still many steps until the deal is closed. I hope that the risks I fear do not occur and that everything works out for the best for Paraná Clube”, he adds.

Paraná Clube is very close to making the sale of SAF official

At last Monday’s meeting (22), the Deliberative Council of Paraná Clube approved the sale of SAF to NextPlay practically unanimously. Before approval, there was a climate of uncertainty due to the negative opinion of the SAF Committee, but the company’s partners clarified all the advisors’ doubts.

“The approval of these documents represents an important milestone in the construction of a definitive solution for Paraná Clube. We were able to structure a model that seeks to fully preserve the club’s identity and create the necessary conditions for a long-term sustainable project. Judicial Recovery requires a high level of transparency and legal security, and we believe that this format offers the necessary guarantees for everyone involved”, commented Pedro Weber, CEO of NextPlay.

To complete the sale of SAF, Paraná Clube still needs the Positive Certificate with Negative Effects from the National Treasury, which shows fiscal regularity. The document will only be made available upon completion of the tax transaction with the Union and payment of the first installment of R$3 million. Once the matter has been decided by the Council, the amount will be paid by NextPlay in the coming days.

Last month, judge Mariana Fowler Gusso, head of the 1st Bankruptcy and Judicial Recovery Court of Curitiba, gave a deadline of 90 days to present the certificate. Only after the document is issued will it approve the plan approved by the creditors for the Judicial Recovery (RJ).