TCEMG suspends R$ 32 million sponsorship from Minas Gerais state-owned companies to football clubs.

The Court of Auditors of the State of Minas Gerais (TCEMG) has suspended, in a precautionary decision, the sports sponsorship contracts worth R$ 32 million planned for 2027 between Minas Gerais state-owned companies and the clubs Cruzeiro, Atlético-MG and América-MG. The measure, signed this Tuesday (November 3rd) by acting councilor Licurgo Mourão, prevents the formalization of new agreements and orders the suspension of payments if contracts have already been signed.

The decision responds to Representation 1.220.989, presented by Senator and Governor-elect Cleitinho Azevedo (Republicans). In his statements, Cleitinho classified the sponsorship as "electioneering" and questioned the priority of the measure given the state's financial difficulties. "I cannot accept, as governor, taking more than R$ 30 million from Cemig and Codemig and putting it now into a football team. I will repeat again: everyone knows the love I have for football. But we have other priorities," declared the governor-elect.

Compensation for bets as justification

The suspension was motivated by a series of irregularities identified by the rapporteur. No technical studies were presented to prove the institutional return on investment for the state-owned companies from the sponsorships, and the criteria used to define the amounts lack objectivity. Councilor Mourão stated that the initiative was announced by the state government as a way to compensate clubs for financial losses resulting from the ban on sports betting in Brazil, which raises doubts about the purpose of the public expenditure.

In this context, the contract values ​​would have been calculated based on the needs of the beneficiary clubs, and not on the strategic interests of Cemig and Codemig, the state-owned sponsoring companies. The legislation requires the logic to be reversed: sponsorship must serve the business interests of the public entity, not the financial stability of the beneficiary.

The decision also points to the lack of information regarding feasibility studies, exposure of the state-owned companies' brands, and justification for the selection of the clubs involved. The fact that the contracts were announced in an election year adds another layer of scrutiny, given the legislation that imposes limits on advertising and sponsorship spending during that period.

Tension during the government transition.

This episode is part of a context of friction between the current government, led by Mateus Simões (PSD), and the transition team of Cleitinho Azevedo. The governor-elect had already expressed concerns about a projected deficit of R$ 10,5 billion for 2027 and about decisions by the current administration that, in his assessment, could compromise the state finances he will inherit in January.

“We are going through a transition, we are seeing the government itself saying that from January there may be money to pay the civil servants. We are going through a transition here and also seeing that there is a lack of school meals,” declared Cleitinho, indicating that sponsoring the clubs contradicts the priorities he intends to adopt in his administration.

Provisional decision, with merit review pending.

The suspension is temporary. The objective is to prevent the transfer of public funds while the court analyzes the legality, legitimacy, and cost-effectiveness of the agreements. The analysis of the merits of the Representation has not yet been concluded by the TCEMG (Court of Accounts of Minas Gerais).

The measure is already in effect and will be submitted to a referendum by the other council members at the next session of the First Chamber of the TCEMG (Court of Accounts of Minas Gerais), scheduled for next week. The outcome of this referendum will determine whether the suspension remains in place while the process is underway, but the central issue, which involves the use of state-owned companies to absorb losses in the football sector after the end of betting, remains unanswered until the merits of the case are judged.