On a day marked by the resignation of Julio Casares from the presidency of São Paulo and by a Civil Police operation against former directors of the club, the tricolor team was defeated on Wednesday night (21) by Portuguesa, 3-2, at Morumbis, in a match valid for the Campeonato Paulista.
All the goals came in the second half. Renê opened the scoring after four minutes. Calleri equalized at 30, but Portuguesa’s number 21 again put the Canindé team ahead at 38. At 43, Maceió expanded. In the final minutes, Calleri scored again and reduced the loss for São Paulo.
The result rocks Portuguesa, which was coming off a 2-0 victory over Velo Clube last Saturday, after defeats in the first two rounds to Palmeiras and Capivariano.
São Paulo, in turn, remains with four points. After the debut defeat to Mirassol, the team led by Hernán Crespo beat São Bernardo, at Morumbis, and drew with Corinthians, in Itaquera, before losing again, now in front of their fans.
The defeat occurred on another day of strong political tension at the club. Earlier, Julio Casares resigned as president.
The now former president formalized the request before the shareholders’ meeting that could confirm the impeachment approved by the Deliberative Council. The decision was announced on the same day that the São Paulo Civil Police launched an operation investigating an alleged illegal sale of boxes at the Morumbi stadium.
Search and seizure warrants were executed against three people under investigation, including Mara Casares, Julio’s ex-wife and former women’s, cultural and events director at the club.
Casares announced his resignation through a long “letter to the São Paulo community”, published on social media. In the text, he stated that he had presided over the club “with absolute seriousness, firmness, responsibility and commitment to the defense of the institution”, but said that he had chosen to leave his position in the face of what he classified as “fragile versions and rumors taken as truth”.
“In view of the continuity of this environment, the need to preserve my health and, above all, to protect my family from attacks and very serious threats, as well as to prevent this political dispute from continuing to harm the football team and the club’s sporting environment, I present my resignation from the position of president, with effect from this date”, he wrote.
With the departure of Casares, Harry Massis Junior, 80, definitively assumes the presidency of São Paulo. Vice president in Casares’ first term (2021–2023) and also on the ticket elected for the three-year period 2024–2026, Massis had become interim president last week and will remain in the position until December, when the former president’s term would end.
São Paulo returns to the field on Saturday (24), at 6:30 pm (Brasília time), in a classic against Palmeiras, at Arena Barueri.
Portuguesa hosts Guarani, at Canindé, at 8pm next Monday (26).
