The victory of the 2025 Copa do Brasil by Corinthians brought, in addition to the trophy, an intense behind-the-scenes controversy. The president of Cuiabá, Cristiano Dresch, launched heavy criticism against the management of the São Paulo club, classifying Timão’s sporting success as a case of “sports fraud”. The topic was the center of discussions on the program Bate-Prontoyes Jovem Pan Sports.
Dresch’s indignation is based on the debt that Corinthians owes to Cuiabá for purchasing midfielder Raniele. The Mato Grosso club claims that Timão assembled a highly competitive squad — which resulted in titles — without paying off its financial commitments with creditor clubs.
“Corinthians put together a competitive team without paying those who owed them, used these athletes and became champions. This compromises the credibility of the competitions”, stated the director. Currently, Corinthians owes around R$18 million to Cuiabá, and the CBF’s National Dispute Resolution Chamber (CNRD) maintained a transfer ban (prohibition on registering new players) on the club, making release conditional on a “change in stance”.
On the program, commentators analyzed the seriousness of the statements and Corinthians’ financial situation. Mauro Cezar Pereira was emphatic in supporting Dresch’s logic. For the journalist, the practice of hiring and not paying generates a sports imbalance unacceptable. “The club that paid everything correctly is eliminated by an opponent that signed players it shouldn’t have because it didn’t pay its debts. It’s all wrong”, he pointed out. Mauro also suggested that the punishment for insolvent management should be relegation, so that the club can reorganize itself before returning to compete at the top.
Mauro Beting classified Dresch’s speech as “irreproachable” from an administrative point of view. He highlighted that, although the merit of the players and the coaching staff on the field is real, the “Pandora’s box” of Corinthians’ accounts — which is close to R$3 billion in total debts — tarnishes the management. Bruno Prado e Victor Boni highlighted that Corinthians lives under constant threat of punishments from FIFA and CNRD. In addition to the Raniele case, there is a debt of R$40 million with Santos Laguna for defender Félix Torres, in addition to delays with players such as Rodrigo Garro, Matías Rojas and Maycon.
The discussion raised in the Bate-Pronto points to the urgent need for strict Financial Fair Play in Brazil.
- Transfer Ban: Corinthians remains prevented from registering new athletes until it proves that specific debts have been paid.
- CNRD Decision: The agency demands a “demonstration of a change of stance”, indicating that systematic installments followed by new delays will no longer be tolerated.
While Corinthians celebrates the title and place in the Libertadores, external pressure increases. As Mauro Cezar summarized, immediate success can mask a deep crisis: “Corinthians could be the São Paulo of 2023: they win a Brazilian Cup and then experience one crisis after another due to their management”.
Watch the discussion
*Report produced with the help of AI
