Corinthians holds this Monday (25), from 18h, in Parque São Jorge, an indirect election to choose the new president of the board after the impeachment of Augusto Melo.
In the hands of 299 counselors, between lifetime and triennial, the mission of pointing out who will lead the club until December 2026, ending the mandate that was interrupted by the removal of Melo, deprived of alleged irregularities in commissions of a sponsorship contract.
Three candidates compete for the chair.
Osmar Stabile, 71, vice president who inherited the interim command, tries to consolidate in power defending the continuity of his work to avoid further rupture in charge of the club. This is his second department in the board, as he was vice president of land sports during part of Alberto Dualib’s management (1993-2007).
Antonio Roque Citadini, 74, the old acquaintance of the backstage Alvinegros, resurfaces with the flag of moral renewal-but not without the weight of his history linked to the Dualib era, of which he was part as vice-president from 2001 to 2004. Last week, he anticipated his retirement as president of the TCE-SP (Court of Auditors of the State of São Paulo), as it will turn 75 on the next day 2 compulsory public service.
André Castro, 46, is an almost anonymous figure for most of the fans, but was active in the management of Duilio Monteiro Alves (2021-2023) as an advisor in the base categories. It tries to occupy the space of novelty, presents itself as an alternative, speaks of modernization and carries as an asset the promise of a billionaire contribution to the club.
The dispute between them is born from a turbulent scenario. Augusto Melo, deprived at the General Assembly after internal and Civil Police investigations, is accused of irregularities in the sponsorship agreement with the Vaidebet betting site. The suspect involves the payment of $ 25 million to an intermediate company, which would be a facade to divert the amount, according to the authorities.
The top hat denies the crimes that led him to lose his mandate and made him and other leaders of his defendants, accused of criminal association, money laundering and theft.
His defense did not convince Corinthians partners. On the last day 9, 1,413 members were in favor of their impeachment, and 620 voted for their renewal to office. In May, the Deliberative Council had already spoken in favor of the impediment, with 176 votes to 57.
In addition to the investigation, he weighed against him the situation of the team. As in 2024, in the first year of Melo’s management, Corinthians lives a complicated moment in the lawns. Despite the São Paulo title, it was eliminated early from the Copa Libertadores and the South American Cup. Although it is in the quarterfinals of the Brazilian Cup, it occupies the second half of the table of the Brazilian Championship, near the relegation zone.
The perspective for the season sequence is pessimism due to frequent lows in the cast because of injuries, added to the impossibility of seeking reinforcements. The club, which no longer had a large margin to invest in hiring, was penalized with a “transfer ban”, a measure that prevents the registration of new athletes until there is an agreement with Santos Laguna for the $ 6.1 million debt for Felix Torres hiring.
A Sheet He sent questions to the three candidates, who will have to deal with these and other situations in the club, such as the total debt of more than $ 2.5 billion. Osmar Stabile stated, through his advice, that he would not give interviews, because he bets on the visibility of his interim management. When he assumed in May, he stated that he found a “set of dirty land.”
Although he committed himself to answering some questions, Roque Citadini did not give a return until the agreed deadline. In a recent interview with CNN Brazil, he said he intends to deal with debts through a new negotiation of the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S MODERNIZATION AND FISCAL LIABILITY), as well as betting on spending containment.
The only one to position was André Castro, who presented as the main proposal the investment potential of the company GSP Banco de Development Mercantil Ltda, with a contribution of up to US $ 1 billion (R $ 5.4 billion) in Corinthians.
“The contribution will be directed to pay off the most critical debts and restructure medium term debts, allowing financial balance and investment capacity in football. We are against turning Corinthians into SAF. We will preserve associative control, but with professional governance and private capital,” he said.
The company cited by him, however, is not registered as a bank or financial institution, unlike what was presented by the candidate. According to the GE.com portal, the GSP was opened in December 2010 in Goiânia as a factoring operator – a company that buys credits (accounts receivable) from another company and paid in cash, with a total discount. In the long run, the company receives the discounted difference.
“The plan will be presented with documentation and guarantees, in total respect for the counselors and the fans,” said Castro.
While the candidates try to convince the counselors with their proposals, on the eve of the election that will define their new president, Corinthians faces Vasco on Sunday (24) in São Januário, in direct dispute to move away from the red part of the table.
