Usually, Chilean soccer clubs complain regarding the lack of resources. The reality was even more acute in times of pandemic, in which there has been a notorious detriment in the coffers of the national teams, who paid dearly for the days in which they might not receive the public in the respective stadiums or in which capacity continues to be reduced. That’s not counting the opportunities bad behavior of fans It has prevented them from gathering valuable resources for their operation. Nevertheless, there are several million pesos that are floating and that almost all the institutions allow to pass annually simply because they do not know the mechanism to opt for them.
Where do those resources come from? Decree Law 1298, which created the sports prediction system, establishes that of the gross income produced from each contest, 12% must be delivered to finance the promotion, development and activities related to sports.. The rule indicates that, of the total funds actually delivered to the IND, a percentage of not less than 13% will be used to meet the needs of national sports clubs and promote and develop the sport that serves as the basis for the competition, and a percentage not less than 2% is allocated to the respective federation. The allocation of funds is carried out, as indicated by the Law, in the manner provided by the IND. For this purpose, there is Exempt Resolution 1779 of the National Sports Institute. There it is detailed that 13% is disaggregated as follows: 8% must be used to meet the needs of national soccer clubs. The remaining 5% is to promote football. The rule maintains 2% dedicated to the federation.
The standard was promulgated in December 1975 and was last modified in October 2003.
The distribution of resources is not equitable, but it is well defined in article 7 of the resolution. There the distribution criteria are established, which consider the times that the respective clubs have been mentioned as a betting option. And the destination that should be given to the resources is also recorded. “The funds assigned to promote and develop the sport will be assigned to the entity or entities that the IND considers, in order to promote the sport that serves as the basis for the contest. In the case of Polla, it refers to the minor soccer series“, establishes. Polla is the company that supports Xperto, the sports prediction game that includes national clubs.
The problem is that the clubs do not take advantage of the benefit. There is an exception to the rule: Iquique Sports. The northerners, indeed, have received income on account of that provision. “Each fund is associated with a project, which must be supported. With that you can opt for new funds. There is a very cumbersome issue. It is very difficult to process. Most clubs don’t do it because it’s exhausting. In our case, in the first half of 2021 we backed $90,310 from Polla and from Xperto we received $2,300,000. Mainly, these are expenses incurred in lower divisions, related to food or travel differences to away games. We spend more than the rest on that”, explains its president, Cesare Rossi. The Celestial Dragons receive income from that item since 2009.
However, they warn that the process is not smooth. “We spent two years trying to communicate. In December we might. We deliver the endorsement on January 24, at the IND office. They have 30 days. We invest that money in the lower divisions. I have not been able to communicate with anyone to tell me if these backups are indeed correctly done to close the cycle. The 30 days have passed. I still haven’t gotten a formal email that endorses them, “says the leader.
In any case, the northerners are much more advanced than their peers, who openly admit that they do not know the mechanism to apply. “We have not had the same luck. I don’t know if it’s due to our lack of capacity. We have insisted several times. We haven’t received it for a long time. The last time it must have been something like four million pesos. These are figures that vary according to the category in which you are”, recognizes Eduardo Olivares, manager of San Felipe.
The people of Iquique have become a reference for the clubs that intend to qualify for these resources. “Iquique has received that money, because they have asked for it. They are clubs that have made the mistake of asking for it. You should explain how you do it. And it should arrive, beyond what one asks for. At a lunch, the vice president of Iquique, Jorge Fistonic, said that they receive. Iquique has been charging since 2009. They have to process it directly with the IND. Being an income from the state, they must render it for some expense. The IND does not pass the money if they have pending procedures with them. If from January 1 to December 31 the benefit is not collected, it is lost”, adds Luis Baquedano, general manager of Unión Española.
In the rest of the clubs consulted by Sporting the answer is similar. What abounds is the lack of knowledge regarding resources that can save more than one expense.