Ex-Corinthians chief on rising debt, calls Memphis Depay ‘ex-player’ | OneFootball

Former Corinthians president Mário Gobbi gave an interview to the podcast “O Pé Que Balança a Rede” and commented on the increase in the club’s debt since the Renovação e Transparência group left control of the club’s administration. In defense of the political group that led the institution between 2007 and 2023 — made up, besides him, of well-known names such as Andrés Sanchez, Duílio Monteiro Alves, and Roberto de Andrade — which left the club with a debt of R$ 1.7 billion, he pointed out that the current board, in just two and a half years, added another R$ 1.4 billion in debt.

In November 2023, Augusto Melo was elected president of Corinthians, bringing an end to the ‘dynasty’ of the ‘Renovação e Transparência’ Group in Timão’s administration. However, just a year and a half later, he was impeached following developments in the VaideBet Case, in which he is a defendant before the Public Prosecutor’s Office. In his place, then-vice president Osmar Stabile took over as head of the executive board.

Photo: Daniel Augusto Jr/Agência Corinthians

“Well, first of all, I would never sign Memphis Depay. Let’s start there. Corinthians, Renovação (& Transparência), was in power for 16 years and handed over the club with 1.7 billion in debt. This new group that took over after Renovação has been in charge for 2 years and 6 months and has created 1.5 billion in debt. So, look at this: Renovação built Arena Corinthians, two training centers, won more than 12 titles, and ran up 1.7 billion in 16 years. They’ve been there for 2 and a half years and have made 1.4 billion. So you can see they didn’t come in to clean things up, to improve, to run an austere administration, to take care of the club; they came in to kick the can down the road,” he said.

Mário Gobbi was president of Corinthians during the 2012-2015 three-year term and is a lifetime member of the club’s Advisory Council (CORI). He was later asked about the situation involving the contract renewal of 32-year-old forward Memphis Depay, whose contract with the club expired on July 31. Speaking about the player, the former president said the Dutchman is a ‘former player’ and cited the figures from his previous deal with the club.

The Alvinegro had even officially announced that it would not renew the player’s contract for reasons of ‘financial health.’ However, in recent days, negotiations resumed and, at this moment, the matter is being discussed in CORI, where the new contract is being presented. The body, it is worth remembering, according to the club’s own bylaws, has no veto power, only an advisory and recommendatory role.

“I wouldn’t sign Memphis. I think Memphis is a good player and nothing more than that. I think his contract is outrageous, the millions he, he, he earns. And I think it’s absurd to set the interest rate at 3% per month. And that is a crime against the nation. So, Corinthians owes Memphis 44 million. Now, when 3% monthly interest kicks in, it goes to 77 million. Did the contract end? It ended. And it ends here. We’re not going to make another contract for 170 million or 150 because… this debt is already unpayable. So how are you going to renew a contract with him? That’s the first point.”

“The second point: Memphis is a former football player. How many matches did he play during the time he was here? You just have to look. How many injuries did he have? Another thing: how does Corinthians pay for the hotel he lives in, the security he lives with, the car he uses? This is a lunatic contract. That doesn’t exist at Corinthians. Ronaldo earned 1 million a month and a percentage of the sponsors he brought in. The car was Ronaldo’s, he bought it himself; the apartment he lived in was on him; the security guards were on him.”

He continued: “So, this is an absolutely monstrous absurdity within the reality of the country. Now, given Corinthians’ reality, it shows a total lack of responsibility toward the institution. And I think it’s absurd that groups are trying to force president Osmar to renew the contract. Another thing, they, they, they preach democracy, but they threaten the councilors, the members of CORI, to vote yes. That is not democracy. That is authoritarianism, it is something else entirely. They act under a cloud of democracy, when in fact what they do is threaten the Council, CORI, and the club’s constituted powers. Corinthians today is facing a serious problem with the parallel power structure that was installed in the club through Augusto Melo and that is still there today and hasn’t stopped. The situation is very serious,” he concluded.

Memphis Depay’s numbers for Corinthians

Signed in September 2024 after not having his contract renewed by Atlético de Madrid of Spain, Memphis Depay arrived at Corinthians and immediately played a key role in the team’s surge in the previous edition of the Brazilian Championship (from the relegation zone to the Pre-Libertadores), scoring seven goals and providing one assist in 11 matches in the national tournament.

Last season and at the start of this one, he was decisive in winning the Campeonato Paulista (2025), Copa do Brasil (2025), and Supercopa do Brasil (2026), totaling two assists in those finals and playing an important role in the earlier knockout rounds. Wearing the Corinthians shirt, he has 20 goals and 15 assists in 79 matches — 40 wins, 18 draws, and 21 losses — a 58.23% success rate.

Before playing for Atlético de Madrid of Spain and Corinthians, he had spells at PSV of the Netherlands — where he came through the youth system — Manchester United (England), Lyon (France), and Barcelona (Spain). He is the fifth-highest foreign scorer in Timão’s history, behind only Romero (67), Guerrero (54), Tévez (46), and Herrera (22).

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