Casares tries to explain missing cash, but knows: time's up at São Paulo | OneFootball

Júlio Casares’ defense responded to the suspicions involving withdrawals of R$ 7 million identified in São Paulo’s 2025 financial statements, denying any connection between the former president and the withdrawn amounts.

In a statement, his lawyers said the funds “were not requested, were not allocated and, obviously, were not used” by Casares, arguing that there is no formal or informal record of cash being handed over to the presidency.

The statement came after the initial rejection of the accounts by the Deliberative Council, amid questions about financial transactions under the previous administration.

According to the defense’s version, the amounts were recorded in the club’s accounting books and linked to recurring operating expenses, classified as “promotional actions” under the advances for matches category.

“These amounts are recorded in the club’s accounting books and were made available by the club’s financial department and accounting office to be used for recurring expenses in at least 172 São Paulo matches across various competitions,” the lawyers said, adding that there was a defined purpose and proper accounting. “In other words, everything had a certain, specific purpose and was formally recorded in the club’s expenses.”

The issue gained weight during the presentation of the financial statements to the Deliberative Council on Wednesday (25), when executive finance director Sérgio Pimenta was unable to detail the origin and use of the amounts in question, indicating that clarification would depend on the former president himself, who was absent from the meeting.

In total, R$ 11 million in withdrawals related to the period were identified, of which R$ 4 million reportedly had a justification presented, while R$ 6.95 million was classified as the “presidency’s promotional fund,” without sufficient supporting documentation according to the independent audit.

Beyond the internal impact, the amounts are also under investigation by a task force involving the Civil Police and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, expanding the scope of the case beyond the club’s political environment.

Even in this scenario, the defense insists that all transactions were recorded and tied to specific expenses, ruling out the possibility of improper use or personal allocation of the funds.

Be that as it may, the fact is that once again the former president is at the center of the shadow of a scandal. And the wide margin of votes in the initial ballot on approval of the financial statements, which sealed their rejection on the grounds of immorality, showed that after the impeachment Casares lost even more internal support within the club.

And this new public exposure is throwing him even more to the lions. Internally, the number of council members who want to see the former president go through the process of expulsion from the club via the Ethics Council has grown. A step that seems increasingly inevitable.

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