Boulos acknowledges betting ban hit club finances and pledges working group

Guilherme Boulos, minister of the Secretaria-Geral da Presidência da República, met representatives of 35 supporters' groups in São Paulo on 19 October and undertook to set up a permanent federal government working group for the sector's demands. The meeting, held behind closed doors, lasted more than two hours and followed a request from the groups for a more direct channel with public authorities, according to Globo Online.

Boulos said the end of betting houses' activities creates a financial problem for clubs. In remarks to journalists after the meeting, he said betting operators had sponsored much of Série A and Série B football and had inflated football sponsorship, and that the government's decision to end betting activity for public health reasons had created a problem for club financing that the government recognises. He said the government is discussing measures but that it is still early to commit to a specific action.

The ban on betting houses took effect in October 2026. The working group's central topics will include the search for alternatives to the sponsorship gap created by the prohibition. Large clubs had already joined to criticise the ban, arguing that betting sponsorship directly affected team finances, and the Campeonato Brasileiro had carried this type of advertising.

In a letter handed to Boulos at the meeting, the Associação Nacional das Torcidas Organizadas (Anatorg) asked President Lula to adopt an agenda of valuing, organising, socially including and preventing violence against supporters' groups and guaranteeing their rights. Requests included a national day in honour of the groups and a revision of part of the Lei Geral do Esporte to replace collective liability with individual punishments in cases of stadium violence. Some representatives also asked for more government attention to supporters, who they say represent the periphery; according to them, the lack of dialogue was leading part of the fans to distance themselves from the left and move closer to the right. The political agenda was discussed less than a week before the second round.

The working group is to be assembled at the Secretaria-Geral ministry in the coming weeks, with representatives of the sports, justice and culture ministries also taking part. The supporters' groups will decide collectively how each will be represented on the body. Wildner Rocha, known as Pulguinha, a board member of Gaviões da Fiel, said the groups' demands involve several areas of government, such as security, culture and justice, and that the sector expects a channel to be opened and a permanent dialogue with public authorities.