Soccer in the dark: after power cut in Amazonas stadiums, sports secretariat tries to negotiate debts

Ívina Garcia – Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – With the opening of the largest Amazonian soccer championship, the “Barezão”, scheduled for this weekend in the Amazon Arena, the Amazon Foundation for High Performance (Faar) tries to negotiate million-dollar debt with the energy concessionaire that resulted in cutting supply of the stadium that hosted the 2014 World Cup and the Rio 2016 Olympics.

The Arena Amadeu Teixeira, stage of multi-sport competitions, also had the power cut for lack of payments on Tuesday morning, 24.

As Amazonas Energy, the debts date from 2016 and exceed the value of R$ 39 million for the two sports units. The utility says it tried to negotiate the debt and made numerous prior notifications, but because of the lack of response, executed the cut of the units.

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In a statement, the company said that “the Arena da Amazônia, throughout the year 2022, accumulated a series of events held, again moving the site and filling the stadium with people without, however, promoting the payment of monthly electricity bills, accumulating debts month by month.

The cut-off for default preceded by communication is foreseen in art. 360 of Resolution No. 1000/2021 – ANEEL, and according to Amazonas Energia, it was sent in writing to the state government.

Negotiations

On the other hand, the Amazonas High Performance Foundation (Faar), the institution responsible for the administration of the arenas, reported through a note that since July 2022 was trying to negotiate the regularization, which has debts since 2008.

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The institution also revealed that most of the debts were incurred in previous managements, but that keeps making payments and is open to new negotiations. “Faar seeks an agreement for the pending issues, including considering the accumulated debts that Amazonas Energia has with the State, higher than those owed by the Foundation”.