Corinthians spoke out this Thursday afternoon (16) after the leak of expenses from the club’s corporate card during the first year of president Augusto Melo’s administration. In total, more than R$8 million was spent on food and accommodation.
According to a report from Sports Gazettethe total amount represents the sum of 11 invoices for 2024. The amounts spent in the first semester were reported in the document created by the Corinthians Guidance Council, which led to the opening of a
Also according to the report, the expenses are from bars and restaurants during periods of . One of the values that attracts the most attention is more than R$43 thousand at Coco Bambu, a gastronomic chain.
Furthermore, after Memphis Depay’s arrival at Timão, spending on corporate cards increased significantly with the player’s accommodation, whose expenses reached R$453 thousand.
In an official note, Corinthians informed that the expenses with the restaurant chain were for delivery at away games, both for the squad and the club’s staff. Regarding the expenses with the Dutch striker, he said that the amounts refer to two months of the player’s accommodation while his apartment in São Paulo was not available.
See the full note from Corinthians on the subject
Sport Club Corinthians Paulista goes public with clarifications about the article published today on the Gazeta Esportiva website, with the title “R$43 thousand at Coco Bambu and spending with Memphis: Corinthians corporate card exceeds R$8 million”.
The article brings in the title the sum of the expenses of 6 orders made at the Coco Bambu restaurant, carried out between June and November 2024. The report also insinuates that these meals were related to the presence of guests from the team’s delegation.
What Gazeta Esportiva does not tell you is that the values relate to the food of all players, staff and the team’s technical committee, in games played away from home. In matches in other cities, the athletes, staff and coaching staff have the post-game meal inside the locker room. The menu is chosen by a nutritionist and passed on to those on the trip, allowing them to choose between options such as meat, fish and pasta. It is a controlled diet to replace the energy and caloric expenditure of the match. Meals are delivered and served in the stadium’s locker room. After eating, athletes, staff and committee head to the airport and return to São Paulo. When the committee chooses to sleep in the game city, meals are eaten at the hotel. All these amounts are paid using the corporate card held by the Football Department.
Coco Bambu is not the only restaurant that provided this service, but it was preferred in some cities due to quality, supply and food safety. In addition, it has lighter meals, such as vegetables, fish, baked potatoes, brown rice and ingredients we can trust. The quality of your diet is one of the key factors in the post-game recovery process.
The advantage of serving food at the stadium is both logistical and financial, as having a post-game meal in a reserved area at the airport is much more expensive.
All specific expenses questioned by the report were responded to promptly, with the date, location and a brief description of the expense. The Club regrets that the report did not ask about the specific expenses with Coco Bambu, which was precisely the highlight of the headline, which would be good journalistic practice. Instead, the report asked the questions it deemed appropriate and brought a completely different content to the publication. And once again, as has been said in other interviews and informed for the report in question, there are no expenses for guests, who travel on chartered flights and bear their own accommodation and food costs.
The Club reinforces that all expenses with the corporate card are exclusively for expenses related to travel, accommodation, meals and other operational needs linked to the club’s activities, including professional and grassroots sports, involving athletes and employees in these areas. Exactly as stated in the note for the report.
Once again, the Club reiterates that it has only one corporate card, which can be used by 5 different CPFs, relating to the Purchasing, Professional Football and Presidency departments (this card, in fact, is zero and has never been used personally by president Augusto Melo ).
This includes expenses for the maintenance of the Club’s vehicle fleet. There is, therefore, no personal expense for the president or directors of Corinthians, as the article insinuates when it talks about tire changes.
The Club maintains its stance of transparency, reinforces its historic position of support for press freedom and full Democracy, always open to dialogue. Therefore, he regrets when a report makes unfounded insinuations.
Check out the full note sent to the Gazeta Esportiva report below:
The club’s corporate card is used exclusively for expenses related to travel, accommodation, meals and other operational needs linked to the club’s activities, including professional and grassroots sports, involving athletes and employees in these areas. At times when the club faced blockages in its accounts, the corporate card proved to be an essential alternative to guarantee the continuity of the aforementioned payments.
With regard to professional football travel, the club clarifies that there are no costs related to the presence of guests in delegations. The trips are carried out on chartered flights, and expenses such as accommodation and food for guests are their sole responsibility.
The club deeply regrets the leak of confidential internal documents, such as the corporate credit card statement, to the press. However, out of respect for its immense fans, collaborators and partners, it considers it essential to go public to clarify and justify all expenses incurred in 2024 that were questioned by the report in question. Below, we present detailed clarifications:
1. Vale das Flores, Nova Friburgo — on February 29, regarding the hosting of the technical observer of the Brasil Soccer grassroots football competition.
2. Pousada Aldeia Camaras — on April 29, regarding the hosting of the technical observer of the Copa Nordestino (under 13 to under 17).
3. Pousada Aldeia Camaras — on November 8, again regarding the hosting of the technical observer.
4. Fasano Hotel — expense related to the accommodation of the player Memphis Depay, the athlete’s agents and staff, upon his arrival in Brazil. Including the player’s housing for approximately two months.
5. GHSM — on November 11, referring to hotel expenses for the game against Vitória, in the Brazilian Championship.
6. Maxima Gesta, Montes Claros — on November 12, regarding accommodation expenses for a Peteca tournament.
7. Daniel Nunes da Silva — relating to travel and accommodation.
8. DT Shop — on June 13, regarding the purchase of video equipment for the Communications team.
9. Brax — charter and ticket expenses.
