FPF confirms Corinthians in Copinha despite club's exclusion from MCF

In partnership with

Central do Timão

·15. November 2025

FPF confirms Corinthians in Copinha despite club's exclusion from MCF

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

In recent days, there have been speculations that Corinthians could be left out of the 2026 São Paulo Junior Football Cup amid the club’s exclusion from the Movimento dos Clubes Formadores do Brasil (MCFB), which took place in January this year. Additionally, there were rumors that some teams might ‘boycott’ the tournament if the Alvinegro remained among the participants.

However, according to information from Gazeta Esportiva and confirmed by Central do Timão through contact with a source from the board, Corinthians is handling the issue internally with calm and is not afraid of a possible exclusion from the competition. This is because the Federação Paulista de Futebol (FPF), which organizes the tournament, has guaranteed the presence of the Alvinegro despite pressure from other clubs.

OneFootball Videos

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel/Agência Corinthians

Corinthians was expelled from the Movimento dos Clubes Formadores do Brasil (MCFB) at the beginning of this year after being accused by Palmeiras of enticing striker Pedro Morelli, 15, who belonged to the Alviverde youth system and had previously been at Parque São Jorge.

At the time, Palmeiras, represented by its youth director João Paulo Sampaio, who is also president of the MCF Ethics Council, requested the exclusion of Corinthians from the movement. The group in question consists of a gentlemen’s agreement between some clubs regarding the non-poaching of athletes among them.

With its expulsion from the movement, Corinthians finds itself vulnerable, as it may be excluded from the main youth competitions in Brazilian football and lose youth players more easily. At the time of the controversy, the then youth director, Claudinei Alves, denied the accusations and stated that the club had a dossier in hand to prove its case.

Central do Timão has learned that, recently, president Osmar Stabile visited the headquarters of the Federação Paulista to discuss the matter and continues to seek dialogue to return to the Movimento dos Clubes Formadores. A source from the Corinthians youth board confirmed to Central do Timão the existence of the dossier mentioned in this article.

The Alvinegro is the biggest champion of the Copinha with 11 titles and played in the last two finals of the tournament, in 2024 and 2025. In the first, they beat Cruzeiro 1-0 and, this year, were defeated by São Paulo by 3-2. Currently, the Corinthians youth system is led by general director Carlos Robert Aurrichio (Nenê do Posto) and executive Erasmo Darmiani, the department’s football executive.

See More: