With the support of 64 clubs, the director, who has been in office since 2015, will command the FPF until 2030; election had been suspended by the courts the day before
Reinaldo Carneiro Bastos was re-elected president of the FPF (São Paulo Football Federation). The vote was held on Wednesday (March 25, 2026) in São Paulo, the entity’s headquarters. The director has been in office since 2015 and will remain in charge until 2030.
The election was held after the CBMA (Brazilian Center for Mediation and Arbitration) authorized the election. The CBMA decision was issued on Wednesday (25th March). The day before, judge Débora Vanessa Caús Brandão had ordered the suspension of the electoral process.
Carneiro Bastos was the only candidate and received approval by acclamation. Fernando Sollero and Mauro Silva were defined as vice-presidents for the new term.
Club support
Carneiro Bastos’s ticket received subscriptions from 63 of the 64 clubs in the first 4 divisions of the Campeonato Paulista. Desportivo Brasil was the only one that did not sign up for bureaucratic reasons.
The FPF statute establishes specific requirements for registration of plates. Subscriptions from at least 12 clubs are required: 5th series A1, 3 from A2, two from A3, one from the 2nd Division and an amateur league.
Lawyer Wilson Marqueti, former attorney at the São Paulo Court of Sports Justice, tried to make his candidacy for the position viable. He did not obtain the necessary subscriptions from the clubs.
Last command allowed
The new mandate extends from 2027 to 2030. In addition to previous years since 2015, the director will complete 15 years at the head of the entity if he completes the period in full.
Carneiro Bastos will not be able to run again for the position of president of the São Paulo Football Federation. The entity’s statute establishes a maximum limit of 3 reappointments.
Legal challenge
An amateur league from Mauá went to court contesting the electoral process. The challenge was based on alleged irregularities committed in the approval of the federation’s current statute. The statute made it possible to reappoint Reinaldo Carneiro Bastos.
The São Paulo Football Federation normally held the election after the CBMA’s decision. The FPF Electoral Commission, responsible for conducting the election, established the General Electoral Assembly.
Read the FPF note about the case:
“The CBMA (Brazilian Center for Mediation and Arbitration), the body competent to decide issues relating to the Statute of the São Paulo Football Federation, issued a decision this Wednesday (25) guaranteeing the holding of the General Electoral Assembly.
“With this decision, the FPF Electoral Commission, an independent body that conducts all elections, established the EGM. By acclamation, Reinaldo Carneiro Bastos was re-elected for the 2027 to 2030 term.”
Read the federation’s official note about the election:
“President Reinaldo Carneiro Bastos was re-elected this Wednesday (25) for a new term at the head of the São Paulo Football Federation.
“More than 80 presidents and representatives of clubs and leagues from across the state of São Paulo were gathered at the Pelé Building, the entity’s headquarters, and, by acclamation, returned the leader to the position. Others, due to commitments from their associations, participated virtually in the assembly.
“Reinaldo Carneiro Bastos’ new mandate will be in effect between 2027 and 2030. Mauro Silva and Fernando Solleiro remain vice-presidents.
“I will be even more judicious in this new mandate. And we will be alongside the CBF to make football in São Paulo even better. The door of this entity will be open to everyone as it always has been. Thank you very much to everyone for your trust. Count on me”, said Reinaldo Carneiro Bastos in a speech to the clubs.”
