There is no date for the end of the political crisis at Corinthians, with a drawn-out impeachment process for President Augusto Melo. The second vote on the director’s removal — the first had been suspended through an injunction — also ended without a conclusion.
There were almost five and a half hours of intense debates at Parque São Jorge throughout Monday (21) until, around 11:15 pm, the president of the Deliberative Council, Romeu Tuma Júnior, Melo’s former ally and current opponent, interrupted the meeting, under the justification that the advance of night made some of the councilors, especially the older ones, leave the place.
Before, they held a prior vote on the admissibility of the merits of the issue. The debate caused an uproar during the session, with Augusto Melo pointing his finger in the direction of Romeu Tuma. The Council leader initially opted for a definition by acclamation, which angered the president of Corinthians. Voting, then, was done using ballots.
There were 126 votes in favor of the legitimacy of the removal process and 114 unfavorable votes. The difference, despite being close, could indicate a possible defeat for Augusto in the vote on the process, since, if the “no” had won, the case would have been closed. But, at the end of the vote, both sides sought to demonstrate optimism.
Tempers flared again at the exit of the meeting, when some councilors were harassed by the fans present. The club’s organizers, especially Gaviões da Fiel, are against the impeachment process, at least until the conclusion of the Civil Police investigation into suspected irregularities in the sponsorship contract with the sports betting house VaideBet, an object for which Augusto is being judged by the counselors.
The authors of the removal process claim that, due to the “omission of the [Augusto Melo]the image of the institution was thrown into a quagmire of degrading news”.
The complaint refers to the payment of R$ 25.2 million, as an intermediation commission for the agreement with the betting site, to Rede Social Media Design, which belongs to Alex Fernando André, Alex Cassundé, who worked in Augusto’s campaign for presidency.
This company passed on part of the commission to Neoway Soluções Integradas em Serviços, registered in the name of Edna Oliveira dos Santos, a woman who lives in a humble residence in Peruíbe and did not even know the company existed.
Augusto denies any irregularities in his actions and says that the entire process went through the club’s supervisory bodies. He also complains that Tuma did not give him ample rights of defense.
Upon leaving Parque São Jorge in the early hours of this Tuesday (21), he called the president of the Council a “dictator” and asked for his dismissal.
“A completely partial guy who is working for them, advocating for his own cause. A guy who didn’t let us defend ourselves”, he complained. “Corinthians is in this situation because there is a guy like that presiding over the Council.”
Tuma defended himself, stating that he followed the rites set out in Corinthians’ statutes. “I deeply regret his speech. We realized, from what little I could see here, that he was emotional, perhaps upset with the result, that perhaps he did not expect it,” said the president of the Council, who reported threats to his family.
A new vote will still be scheduled, possibly on February 3 or a week later. It is not clear whether councilors who were not present on Monday will be able to participate or whether the new meeting will be held as a continuation of the previous one, with the call already made. The topic will be the subject of further debate between the parties.
If Augusto suffers another defeat, he will be immediately removed. Tuma will then have five days to schedule the shareholders’ meeting, which will take place within a period of 30 to 60 days. Voting by members, under the simple majority system, is final.
If the partners reject the impeachment, Augusto will return to office. If the dismissal is approved, the Deliberative Council will be convened to elect —without the participation of members— a new president until what would be the end of Melo’s term, in December 2026.
The entire process has been dragging on since the second half of last year, when a group made up of 90 counselors filed the request for removal. At the current rate, the uncertainty could last until mid-April.
The only point on which the situation and the opposition agree at the moment is that Corinthians will continue to “bleed”, seeing its image damaged.
There is concern among fans about the effect of the political crisis on the team, which has important commitments on the horizon, such as its debut in the preliminary phase of the Copa Libertadores, against Universidad Central, from Venezuela, in Caracas, on February 19th. The return game will be on the 26th, in Itaquera.
