Corinthians board votes on statute reform, fans share hopes | OneFootball

Corinthians faces a decisive night this Monday (9th). The club's Deliberative Council will meet at Parque São Jorge to vote on the proposed Statute reform, considered one of the most comprehensive institutional processes of recent decades.

The first call for the meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. (Brasília time), with a second call set for 7 p.m. The session will include the club’s 200 triennial councilors and 90 lifetime councilors. For the changes to be approved, a simple majority of those present must vote in favor.

Photo: José Manoel Idalgo/Agência Corinthians

Reform Proposes Institutional Modernization

The proposal under review seeks to promote broad institutional modernization and redefine key aspects of the club’s governance. The text proposes the incorporation of clearer mechanisms for holding leaders accountable, expanding administrative transparency, and strengthening professional management, in addition to adjustments to comply with the General Sports Law.

Among the main points of the reform is an internal political restructuring aimed at improving the functioning of the club’s representative bodies. The project establishes stricter eligibility criteria for leadership positions—updated in light of the Clean Record Law parameters—as well as the creation of a mechanism for holding leaders financially responsible in cases of losses to the club.

The text also provides for fiscal responsibility rules, an explicit ban on nepotism, and the modernization of electoral procedures. One of the most debated points is the possibility of allowing members of the Fiel Torcedor program to participate in club elections. Currently, only Parque São Jorge members have voting rights.

Other relevant changes proposed by the reform include extending the term of office for elected positions. If approved, the change will extend the terms of councilors, the president, and vice presidents from three to four years. The text also foresees the possibility of transforming the club into a Football Corporation (SAF), but with defined requirements and limitations for its possible implementation.

Expectations Inside and Outside the Council

The Central do Timão team spoke with councilors, members, and supporter groups who followed the public hearings held throughout the proposal’s drafting process.

For the group Voz Corinthiana, the moment is one of anticipation mixed with caution, given the political disputes surrounding the issue.

“Voz Corinthiana’s expectation is mixed. While we feel the positive anxiety of being close to a historic decision that will define the club’s future, we remain in a constant state of alert. There is real tension regarding backstage maneuvers trying to water down the project, using the Fiel Torcedor vote as a pretext to block other vital and inseparable advances of the reform.

The solution to Corinthians’ crisis necessarily involves democratization and professionalization going hand in hand. Simply democratizing, while keeping the current flawed rules, would only invite more Corinthians fans to vote in a broken system.”

The president of the Deliberative Council, Romeu Tuma Júnior, said he approaches the vote with confidence after the process of drafting the text.

“The best expectations, because after two years of intense, hyper-democratic, and extremely comprehensive work, with the participation of all possible and imaginable actors who constitute the true spirit of Corinthianism and Corinthians as an institution, we have, for the first time in our centenary history, arrived at a truly democratic constitution for Corinthians. Everyone who reads it, wherever they are, will see themselves represented and as part of its authorship.

According to him, the moment also represents an opportunity for institutional rapprochement between leaders and fans.

“I believe the Deliberative Council has a great opportunity to reconnect the lost link with the members and our fans, who are, ultimately, the true owners of Corinthians and to whom we owe respect.”

Among the members, the mood is also one of expectation, but with criticism of the club’s political environment. For Cyrillo Cavalheiro Neto, the possibility of fan participation in elections remains one of the main points of contention.

“I hope we have a vote today. One of the main issues of the reform was the possibility for Fiel Torcedor to vote in 2026, and we are still fighting for that right. Even if we have a comprehensive reform, Corinthians will continue to be managed by those who led it to its worst administrative, financial, and reputational moment. Our managers hate Corinthians and the Corinthians fans.”

Within the Deliberative Council, the expectation is that the session will be marked by intense debates. Triennial councilor Vinícius Cascone noted that the public hearings contributed to the debate, but emphasized that disagreements remain.

“The public hearings were an important space for debate and improvement of the original proposal. However, despite the goodwill during the debates, the final draft retained most of the original text, which will lead to a major debate at the meeting. In any case, we cannot abstain: we must discuss and vote on the necessary reforms for the club.”

Member Alexandre Germano believes that the effectiveness of the statutory changes will depend not only on the approved text but also on the club’s institutional culture.

“No statute or rule changes culture. This Statute reform project brings excellent and necessary innovations that will only become effective if approved and subsequently implemented. I hope the Council understands this moment and approves all necessary changes, which will later be ratified at the members’ assembly, despite some negative rumors about the political maneuvering preceding the vote.”

The report also contacted Gaviões da Fiel, the club’s main organized supporters’ group. In response to Central do Timão, the group stated that it hopes the statutory reform will represent progress in Corinthians’ internal democratization process.

“The Corinthians fanbase hopes the statutory reform will be a milestone in democratization: giving a voice to the Fiel Torcedor and also allowing the Fiel Torcida to choose the president. It’s the motto ‘Corinthians is the People’s Team’ becoming a reality in the club’s politics.”

Divergences and Recommendations

The debate around the statutory reform intensified last week after a statement from Corinthians’ Guidance Council (CORI). The body recommended that the Deliberative Council hold a partial vote on the project, prioritizing only the most urgent topics and using the current statute as a basis.

The recommendation prompted immediate reactions from different sectors of the club, including supporter groups and the president of the Deliberative Council himself.

Contacted by Central do Timão to comment on the body’s expectations regarding Monday’s vote, CORI representatives initially did not respond. Later, councilor Felipe Ezabella sent a statement to the editorial team and harshly criticized the statutory reform draft.

According to him, the text presented “is a political and legal disaster” and makes changes to more than 90% of the current Statute without, in his view, effective debate. Ezabella also stated that the public hearings “served only as a platform,” since after the presentation of criticisms and suggestions, the document remained “almost identical” to the version released in November 2025.

“Of course there are good ideas in the text, but they are tied to a package of changes that not only do not help the club, but actually bring more difficulties to its management. The most reasonable thing, to try to make use of the work and effort of some councilors and members, would be to limit the Statute reform to the analysis of a few topics such as football members, the councilor election system, reducing the number of lifetime members, female participation... Otherwise, once again, the reform will be left for another term,” the councilor pondered.

How the Voting Will Work

Unlike recent processes held at Parque São Jorge, Monday’s vote will be open. This means each councilor will be identified at the time of voting.

The Statute Reform Committee is expected to define the exact format of the deliberation process shortly before the meeting begins. The trend, however, is for the project to be divided into thematic blocks, allowing separate votes for different sets of changes.

If the text is approved by the Deliberative Council, the president of the body will call a general assembly for club members to vote on the proposal. The members’ vote is expected to take place in April, on a date yet to be determined.

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.