With the support of 63 clubs, Reinaldo Carneiro Bastos will be acclaimed for the 3rd consecutive time in the election
The current president of the São Paulo Football Federation, Reinaldo Carneiro Bastos, filed this Tuesday (10 March 2026) the registration of his candidacy for the organization’s election. He will be the only candidate in the election scheduled for March 25th. Carneiro Bastos should be acclaimed to lead the federation in the four-year period from 2027 to 2030. Mauro Silva, former football player, and Fernando Sollero are on the ticket as vice-presidents. With information from .
The current president’s ticket received almost unanimous support from clubs in São Paulo. Sixty-three of the 64 clubs that make up the first 4 divisions of the Campeonato Paulista signed the document. Only Desportivo Brasil did not sign for bureaucratic reasons.
The federation’s statute establishes that a list must receive the subscription of at least 12 clubs to be registered. Of this total, 5 must be from the A1 series, 3 from the A2, 2 from the A3, one from the 2nd Division and one from the amateur league.
The massive support of the clubs made it impossible for an opposition candidacy to emerge. Lawyer Wilson Marqueti, who served as attorney for the São Paulo Court of Sports Justice, made an alternative ticket possible, but was unsuccessful.
Carneiro Bastos assumed the presidency of the São Paulo Football Federation in 2015. At the time, he held the position of vice-president and was promoted when Marco Polo Del Nero left the post to take over the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation). This will be the 3rd time that the leader will be elected by acclamation. In 2018 and 2022, he also ran unopposed.
Investigation against Reinaldo Carneiro Bastos
The candidacy was registered while the director is the target of the São Paulo Public Ministry on suspicion of fraudulent management, ideological falsehood and money laundering. The investigation, which is being carried out in the 23rd Police District of Perdizes, in the capital of São Paulo, investigates the sale of a cleaning services company for R$15.5 million, of which R$11.5 million was paid in cash.
According to prosecutors, payment in cash constitutes an atypical circumstance and is incompatible with ordinary commercial practices. The case involves possible violations of the Law on Crimes against the National Financial System and the tax order. The federation itself is identified as a victim of the alleged irregularities.
Carneiro Bastos’ defense stated that the allegations are part of a political strategy and that the leader never faced criminal proceedings.
