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 The Brazilian Andre Zanotta, 37, has risen quite fast to high ranks of club football management in Brazil, since his graduation from the FIFA Master, in 2010. Currently the sport director of Gremio FBPA, one of the country’s powerhouses, Andre has become a reference for young managers dreaming to have a relevant role in football, in Brazil and elsewhere.

 Andre started his professional career as a lawyer at an important firm in Sao Paulo, where most of his clients were football clubs, but soon “I was getting more involved in the business side of football rather than only the legal aspects”, he recalls. So, in 2009 he decided to apply to the FIFA Master. Right after the graduation, Andre made a move to Cancún, Mexico, where he joined Atlante FC as Commercial Director. He tells us how that great opportunity came to be: “The people we meet during the Master have been a huge help in the development of my career. One of them, Miguel Couchonnal, a classmate of mine, was the General Director of Atlante FC, and after the master he invited me and another friend to work with him at the club”.

 After one year with the club, Andre decided to go back to Brazil and joined Traffic Sports - at that time, the most prominent sports marketing agency in the country – as manager for the football department, working directly with the clubs owned by the company (Estoril Praia and Desportivo Brasil). A year later, in May 2012, he was offered a job as Assistant to the Sporting Director at Santos FC – one of Brazil’s most acclaimed clubs – and a year later, at 33 years old, he become the club’s youngest ever sporting director. After three years working at Santos, Andre had built a reputation that caught the attention of several other clubs, and offered him the opportunity to take on different challenges in different regions of the country. “In 2015, I decided to seek for other opportunities, so I went to be the Sporting Director at Sport Club do Recife, in the northeast region, and now, since the beginning of this year, I have the same position at Gremio, in the most southern state”.

 In this interview, Andre Zanotta shares his views about the current situation of Brazilian and South American football as well as the importance of the FIFA Master for his career.

FMA Quarterly: In the past few years, it feels like Brazilian football has lost a lot of ground to European football – not only in international market – but also in Brazil. Why do you think that is?

Andre Zanotta: In my opinion, this is due to many reasons: the increasing audience of the top European leagues around here, with more and more tv channels broadcasting live matches from all top leagues; our best players moving to Europe at early ages, and fans want to keep watching them wherever they are; the internet making it easier and faster to have all information about players and teams from anywhere in the world; and let’s not forget the lack of initiative from clubs and entities in Brazil in order to face that growth from other competitors.

FMAQ: How do you see the future of Brazilian and South American football?

AZ: I think the South American football in general is progressing for a better future. We see now a lot more professionalism in football clubs. Chairmen and other key persons are looking for best practices in different areas, searching examples mainly in the European market, to apply in their clubs. Also, the new board of the CONMEBOL is trying to give more transparency to decisions and all contracts signed by them. As from 2019, for example, there will be a significant increase in the amount paid by this entity to the football clubs for playing the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana. There is still a lot to be made in order to have an organization in the level of the top European clubs. However, I am very optimistic with how things are moving forward around here.

FMAQ: What would you say were your most impressive professional achievements?

AZ: I think becoming the youngest Sporting Director in the history of a club like Santos FC was something that I am very proud of. I was only 33 years old when I was named for such an important position in one of the most prestigious clubs in Brazil.

FMAQ: How important was the FIFA Master for your career?

AZ: The FIFA Master represented the change I wanted to give in my career. It was definitely the first push I had in order to reach the position I am now. It gave me a wider view of opportunities I could search in the sports market and, above all, it made me had very important connections throughout the industry which was crucial for the development of my career.

FMAQ: How important is alumni network for you?

AZ This network has been very important for my role as Sporting Director. I remember when I was in Santos and I brought a Brazilian player on loan from a club in Saudi Arabia and I was having difficult in making connection with the FA there in order to release the player. So, one of my classmates helped me to solve this. Once I also negotiated a player transfer with a former classmate of mine. Small world!

SHORT PROFILE

 Andre Zanotta, 37, Brazilian

 Sporting Director at Gremio FBPA married with Carolina; father of Izabel, 4, and Frederico, 2.

 FIFA Master Class: 2010 

 Favourite sport: football

 Favourite team: Gremio

 Favourite sport’s personality: Ayrton Senna

 Favourite sport’s moment: Brazil winning the 1994 FIFA World Cup