American rapper Jay Z‘s Roc Nation Sports has bought 51 percent of Brazil’s TFM agency, which represents football players such as Vinicius Jr, Endrick and Gabriel Martinelli, thus taking a controlling stake.
TFM will be renamed Roc Nation Sports Brazil and will continue to operate as before, under the control of the new partner, which could acquire a larger stake in the coming years. Roc Nation Sports, based in the United States with a further office in London, was focused on other sports such as basketball with the NBA, American football with the NFL and baseball with the MLB. Their interest in football began with work with Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku and developed relatively recently. With this deal, TFM aims to increase the reach of the players it represents on a more global level.
Vinicius Jr’s fight against racism will gain traction
As part of Vinicius Jr‘s continued battle against the racial abuse he has suffered in Spain, the Brazilian will now receive the rather unique backing of a company which houses a lot of black athletes and artists.
“Roc Nation can raise the profile of Vinicius’ and other sportsmen’s causes. It boosts this fight as well as the flag for education like the Vini Jr Institute and of course increases his commercial possibilities. Everything is raised to the tenth degree,” explained Fred Pena, head of TFM/Roc Nation Sports Brazil.
The figures of the deal have not been disclosed. According to Forbes, Jay Z‘s fortune amounts to more than 2.5 billion dollars. However, the singer and businessman will not play an active role in his new activity in Brazil, with his participation coming under more of a representative role.