Corinthians paid over four months’ wages to suspended Arena manager | OneFootball

Removed from his duties since June due to an accusation of workplace harassment, the revenue manager of Neo Química Arena, Lucio Blanco, continued receiving a salary and had been paid normally by Corinthians until the beginning of this week. The club acknowledged the fact in a statement to Gazeta Esportiva, but reported that the professional would be dismissed from the staff.

Lucio Blanco was accused of workplace harassment by Gabriela Rosa Torres, the Arena’s customer service coordinator. She even filed a police report at the Women’s Defense Precinct in March of this year.

Gabriela said at the time that she had already reported to Corinthians’ internal bodies cases of psychological violence, shouting, and insults involving Lucio. According to her, the situation began back in 2024. The employee stated she sought out Marcelo Mariano, the club’s former administrative director, in September of last year, but no action was taken.

In early June, the then-interim management of Osmar Stabile learned of the case and decided to suspend the manager. In addition, the board opened an internal inquiry to investigate the facts. However, as exclusively uncovered by the report, Lucio received his salary normally over the last four months, even while suspended. That’s because Blanco was away from his duties, but had not been officially fired.

Lucio Blanco, former manager of Neo Química Arena, was fired by Corinthians (Photo: Corinthians TV/YouTube)

Corinthians acknowledges in a statement

Last week, the report contacted Corinthians, which acknowledged the fact through an official statement. The club claimed that the internal inquiry did not substantiate the accusations against Lucio Blanco, but reported that the manager would be dismissed on October 14, last Tuesday, due to “administrative restructuring.”

The decision, however, was only made after Gazeta Esportiva brought the case to light. It’s worth noting that, to fire him, Timão will need to pay a fine.

What Lucio Blanco says

The report also contacted Lucio Blanco, who confirmed the information brought by Gazeta Esportiva. The professional said that when he was suspended, it was agreed that he would not comment on the case until Corinthians took some action.

According to Lúcio, the club informed him verbally, in an in-person meeting, about the result of the internal inquiry. However, the former employee says he did not receive any official communication in writing, and confirms that he was never formally fired — which is why he continued receiving a salary during the suspension period.

Understand the reasons

According to information obtained by Gazeta Esportiva, Corinthians assessed that it should act cautiously in investigating the accusations against Lúcio Blanco. In addition, he was considered an influential figure behind the scenes at the club.

The board even intended to keep him on staff, but concluded that his stay would not be feasible due to structural changes and the heavy atmosphere that his continued presence could generate internally.

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