By Samindra Kunti
December 15 – Brazilian club Santos will face a 2016 season of austerity after missing out on qualification for the Copa Libertadores.
Early in December Santos were defeated by Palmeiras in the final of Copa do Brasil, the equivalent of the FA Cup. ‘O Peixe’ let slip a 1-0 first leg advantage, succumbing to a penalty defeat in the return leg in Sao Paulo. The result has cast a shadow over Santos’s aspirations next season. A Copa do Brasil win entitles the victor to a spot in the Copa Libertadores, the South American Champions League.
The continental flagship tournament doesn’t generate the riches of its European equivalent, but Santos’s financial department had counted on the windfall of participation. The club also failed to qualify via Brazil’s regular domestic league, missing out on a top four finish after prioritising the Brazilian Cup by playing reserve sides against Coritiba and Vasco da Gama.
The winner of the Brazilian cup receives €900,000 and bags another €1.8 million from qualification for the Copa Libertadores, with an additional match fee of €269,000 per game. Santos’s absence from the continental competition will hinder negotiations to conclude big deals with sponsors, who want exposure from the Copa Libertadores. The club were in advanced talks with a new lead sponsor having lost Banco BMG as far back as 2012.
Santos will now be obliged to keep the purse tight, opting for cheaper players in the transfer market. The club have ended negotiations with midfield lynchpin Paulo Henrique Ganso, and downplayed a possible return of Robinho. They have managed to protect their new rising star Lucas Lima from leaving Brazilian shores for Europe.
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