Corinthians chief on André Carrillo renewal and missing players | OneFootball

Corinthians faced Estudiantes-ARG on the night of last Wednesday (16) at Neo Química Arena, in the second leg of the 2026 Conmebol Libertadores quarterfinals, and ended up being eliminated from the international competition after losing 1-0 — the aggregate score was 2-1 — and with just over R$ 25 million in their coffers.

Almost a day after the negative result, football executive Marcelo Paz held a press conference at CT Dr. Joaquim Grava and was asked about several topics. The executive stated that, at the moment, the only player whose contract is expiring and who is in talks to renew is midfielder André Carrillo. The others, meanwhile, are being evaluated. In addition, he commented on the fact that Memphis Depay did not go through the mixed zone after the defeat, along with the No. 10’s involvement in the club’s political issues.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

Marcelo Paz also addressed the fact that Corinthians have not made any sales this season, since at the beginning of the year he had said that Alvinegro would make the biggest sale in its history. The executive also spoke about his relationship with vice president Armando Mendonça, the club’s electoral process, planning for 2027, and avoided going into detail about his opinion regarding SAFIEL, a group seeking to turn the club into a Sociedade Anônima do Futebol (SAF) by promoting greater fan participation in club decisions. Finally, he spoke about how much the high number of absences, with Yuri Alberto being the main one, affected the team’s season.

From now on, Corinthians turn their attention back to the only competition they have left this season. This is because, on Sunday (20), before the FIFA international break, Alvinegro will host Fluminense, also at Neo Química Arena, at 4 p.m. (Brasília time), for the 28th round of the 2026 Brazilian Championship. Currently, Timão sit only 14th with 32 points — eight wins, eight draws and 11 losses — 28 goals scored and 29 conceded, just four points above the relegation zone, which at the moment has Vasco da Gama as the first team in it — 28 points in 26 matches.

Check out some of the executive’s answers below from the press conference:

The impact of the elimination on the club’s finances and shielding Memphis from political issues

“From a financial point of view, it’s bad because it would have been extra money coming in from a possible semifinal. Any club’s planning has these variables; sporting performance is not always guaranteed. The money didn’t come in, sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t.”

“As for shielding him, that depends a lot on him. Naturally, he’s a very exposed player, that’s normal, it’s part of it, I’m not bothered by that. He has to be careful, he’s upset about not having scored. Yesterday, he tried, he worked hard. In terms of participation, it was one of his best matches since returning.”

On elections at Corinthians

“What we have to do here is win matches. When we win, criticism and controversy decrease. Our role in football is to win matches, that’s what drives everything. When we don’t win — and we’ve gone some time without winning — that happens. Corinthians fans want the team to win and for there not to be direct influence on the club’s football operations. I report only to president Osmar. We talk on the phone every day three or four times a day. There is no influence; responsibility for football is ours. Is it good for a club to be politically troubled? No, it’s not good. There’s the financial issue too, and I think that impacts even more. I’m not complaining, I’m reporting. The election issue will stay outside the training center, it will stay at Parque São Jorge. I don’t want to and will not take part in that. My job is here with Fernando Diniz and the players.”

Does the vice president get in the way of Corinthians’ football operations?

“He has never tried to interfere in anything related to football. People know and talk about his problem with Memphis, but I’ve never seen them disrespect each other. Armando doesn’t go into the locker room. He travels with the delegation, he is the elected vice president. He has dinner with us, but keeps to himself, calm, he doesn’t interfere. He goes, travels, and fulfills his institutional role as vice president. He has never tried to intervene in anything. Yesterday, he called me to say we needed to keep our heads up. I have to be honest, I’ve never seen it. If there is any disagreement between him and a player, I’ve never seen it. He respects football’s space, I’ve had no problem with him. You can ask Diniz that question, there are no complaints. I’m transparent and I tell the truth. From my side, I’ve never felt uncomfortable with him. We know about this public issue, but I’ve never seen any disharmony.”

Reflection on the current state of São Paulo football. What needs to improve?

“I think São Paulo football is the strongest in the country, and I think the Paulista Federation is the best run in the country. Even before being here, I was already involved. Corinthians specifically have 19 titles and a major leading role. São Paulo football remains strong; this week was really painful. I do think everything comes down to management. I don’t like talking about other clubs, but the three that didn’t advance are dealing with financial problems. That issue needs to be faced; the teams that invest more are the ones that show up more in competitions. What are the investment levels of Palmeiras, Fluminense and Flamengo? Corinthians have bought almost no one in two years; the last one was Martínez, which ended up turning into a transfer ban. It’s a big debt, a high amount.”

“It’s very difficult to restructure financially and still win titles and, even so, Corinthians won three titles. There are a lot of people who are no longer at the club who could help us. I see the brand as very strong. It’s a challenge, and yes, it does come down to management, but I can’t fail to say that something is being done. When you don’t sign players on high wages, that’s a step toward fixing the debt. Corinthians are a sporting powerhouse, but today they are not a financial powerhouse.”

Is SAFiel a solution?

“That is a political issue and I’m not going to get into it. Turning into an SAF is not my role. The current model is an association, so the focus should be on increasing revenue and reducing expenses. Traditional revenues hit a ceiling. What does that mean? Broadcasting rights and ticket sales. I don’t want to get into the political issue.”

Why didn’t Corinthians manage to make the biggest sale in their history?

“The year isn’t over, there can still be a sale by December. Corinthians had André’s sale lined up, he didn’t go through with it and he clearly acknowledges that. That sale could have helped us with cash flow. A good part of the revenue from sales could have come at that time. It’s part of football, it happens, it’s normal. It was a decision that was made. I also think Corinthians have to seek to increase the value of their assets. The market knows Corinthians are going through problems and comes with lower offers. There are sales in December, the year isn’t over yet. If the sale doesn’t happen, the players called up have a higher value than they had before being called up. Corinthians will have a financial return when those sales happen.”

On the scouting department

“It’s work that started this year; it was a department that didn’t exist at the club. Gabriel explored several markets, but so far there have been no sales. There is a platform that promotes events for player sales; he went there once in Tokyo and once in Madrid. It didn’t produce results in this window, but it may in the next one. I get a daily report from Gabriel, he brings me reports, and I hope this improves.”

Why didn’t Memphis go through the mixed zone?

“There in La Plata, Memphis made that gesture that created controversy. He told me that if there was a fine, he would pay it. I believe it’s the same behavior regarding the mixed zone; he wasn’t the only one who didn’t go through. He was upset, and we guide the players. If it was an individual attitude, it’s normal for the person to face the consequences of that.”

How do you give confidence to the fans?

“By winning matches. Life is not linear. I’m here to answer the questions without any limitation, the fans deserve that. The path to peace and stability is winning matches, there’s no other way. I’m going through a negative moment, but I strongly believe we’ll win again and give the fans that satisfaction.”

How far does the conviction in Diniz’s work go?

“The conviction is that at Corinthians he has already delivered results. At Vasco last year, he took over in a bad situation and delivered good work, even reaching the Copa do Brasil final. We need to start winning again; we have the players, the pride, and the coaching leadership to play well again.”

On players nearing the end of their contracts

“Some players are on loan, so it doesn’t depend on us. Some have purchase clauses. Zakaria will have his contract renewed because of the injury, and we had an initial conversation with Carrillo’s representatives. That’s what we can say for now. Everything depends on sporting performance and the lifting of the transfer ban to make those decisions.”

Yuri Alberto and Zakaria’s injuries and the possible impact of the Arena pitch

“The absence of those two players has an impact; if they were available, they would perform. I can’t directly attribute the injuries to the pitch. Yuri’s injury was muscular; he was pushed, planted his foot, and I can’t say it was the pitch. Zakaria twisted his knee; maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. I can’t say for sure. Yuri’s was a muscular injury on the pitch. We had two matches with a poor pitch, which was not what was intended; there was a plan to renovate the pitch. It’s a company that knows the pitch, its history, and has a very positive track record. It was the first time planting had been done in winter, and the response was different from what they expected. It took a little longer for the grass to take root. Against Athletico-PR, whether by coincidence or not, it is related to the pitch.”

Paz offers self-criticism of his work

“I don’t really like evaluating or judging myself. At Fortaleza, people would say: you’re the greatest, do you think you are? I don’t think self-evaluation is ideal because, in some way, it will be biased. This is a new, different challenge. Coming to a club with all the very particular issues that were talked about a lot here in this press conference, in a role I hadn’t had for quite some time. I was football director back in the day at Fortaleza and I became one again here at Corinthians. There are positive things in management, atmosphere, improvement. The football executive manages the departments and managed to set up the recovery process. We are trying to provide calm at the training center, improving the staff.”

“With the physiotherapy department, we created training programs, studies, made things easier to do, and equipment was purchased. These are things that don’t show up much. What shows up are results on the pitch. On the pitch, we won one title, had a decent Libertadores campaign, and the Brasileirão is not over yet. In the Copa do Brasil we weren’t eliminated, and there was the Paulista too. It’s not excellent work; it’s around average, with successes and mistakes, with a very transparent relationship with the fans. The truth, looking people in the eye, always trying to convey with transparency everything that happens. The evaluation will come at the end, when the year is over, which coincides with the end of my work, when a more accurate assessment can be made.”

“Specific issues, in a way, are the responsibility of the top manager, but they often happen at much lower levels, where you don’t have direct control. When a problem happens, the warning light comes on and the warning is passed along. A warning sign emerged that some procedures were not being done in the ideal way. I’ll leave it to you in the press and to the fans to evaluate, within this difficult context, but still bringing some results, improving the structure of the training center, taking part in important negotiations and bringing in players at zero cost.”

Club goals for 2027

“The club has to plan regardless of a change in president. Each position in the table brings in more money, earns a continental spot — it could be the Copa Sudamericana, the Libertadores, or the Libertadores qualifying rounds. We have to plan regardless of who our next president will be.”

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