Julio Casares steps down as São Paulo president | OneFootball

Julio Casares is definitely no longer the president of São Paulo. The executive decided to resign from his position this Wednesday, through a letter posted on social media, just a few days after the approval of the impeachment process by the club’s Deliberative Council.

“I resign from the Presidency to preserve my health and protect my family. I will never renounce São Paulo Futebol Clube, the love of my childhood and my life. What I do renounce is the environment of conspiracies, distortions, lies, and power struggles that have exceeded democratic limits and tried to tarnish careers, biographies, and the very history of the club. I say goodbye with respect, gratitude, and everlasting love for this institution, which I will always honor,” wrote the now former president of the club.

Last Friday, 235 council members attended the meeting that approved Casares’ impeachment, held in the Morumbis grand hall. There were 188 votes in favor of removal, 45 against, and two blank votes.

Pressure on Casares had increased in recent weeks. Amid controversies reported by the press and scandals investigated by the Civil Police, fans and organized supporter groups of Tricolor had already been demanding the executive’s resignation even before the impeachment vote was scheduled.

With the approval of the removal by the Council, the only step left for Julio Casares was the General Assembly of Members, which could confirm or reject the council’s decision. However, the suspended president decided to resign from his position, just as Carlos Miguel Aidar did in 2015.

  See this post on Instagram   A post shared by Julio Casares (@juliocasares_sp)

Next Steps

With Casares’ resignation, the vice president of the current administration immediately takes over, as stated in the club’s Social Statute. In this case, the immediate successor is Vice President Harry Massis Júnior, who has held the position since 2021.

According to São Paulo’s Statute, Massis Jr. will remain at the club until the end of the term of the president who resigned. In other words, the new president will lead Tricolor until the end of 2026.

Harry Massis Júnior, 80 years old, is a businessman and has been a São Paulo member since 1964, and had already been acting as interim president. A lifetime council member of the club, he has held various roles at Tricolor. Between 2001 and 2002, for example, he served as assistant football director. He was also assistant administrative director between 1992 and 1993.

Read the full text published by Casares:

“Letter to the São Paulo Community. A message to Fans, Council Members, and Members.

Throughout my journey as President of São Paulo Futebol Clube, I acted with absolute seriousness, firmness, responsibility, and commitment to defending the institution, always guided by respect for its history, its greatness, and its fans.

In recent months, the club has experienced an environment of intense instability, marked by repeated attacks, distorted narratives, and external pressures that went beyond legitimate institutional debate.

What began as fragile versions and rumors was repeatedly reproduced, amplified, and gradually treated as truth, even without the presentation of consistent grounds or solid evidence.

Thus, a context of serious contamination of the debate was formed, in which inferences began to take the place of facts and assumptions were presented as certainties, in a process that, little by little, turned constructed versions into apparent truths.

I do not, at this moment, claim authorship, methods, or specific responsibilities, since such matters should be properly investigated by the competent authorities. However, it is impossible to ignore that there were backstage maneuvers, deliberate distortions, and a cunning political plot, marked by interests, institutional betrayals, and practices incompatible with the history and values of São Paulo Futebol Clube—facts that time and history will record.

This scenario deeply affected the club’s governance and, in an absolutely unacceptable way, crossed the boundaries of the institutional sphere, reaching my family and my personal life. I did not resign earlier because I understood it was my duty to exercise, until the end, the right to a full defense and to contradict the accusations.

I faced this process directly, in person, and with dignity, even in an environment already contaminated by pre-constructed narratives.

In practice, the statement made at the podium was the only effective space I was given to present my defense, in a summary proceeding that, in my view, restricted the necessary production of evidence and the full clarification of the facts.

The decision made by this Council ends a process of a political nature.

I respect this decision, even though I disagree with it, and I reaffirm, with absolute conviction, that I have never committed any wrongdoing.

My resignation does not represent a confession, acknowledgment of guilt, or validation of the accusations made against me.

Given the continuation of this environment, the need to preserve my health and, above all, to protect my family from serious attacks and threats, as well as to prevent this political dispute from continuing to harm the football team and the club’s sporting environment, I submit my resignation from the position of President, effective as of today, even anticipating the exercise of the statutory right to await the General Assembly.

I make a point of recording that I leave a club that is structurally sound in sports, with a competitive team that has returned to competing in finals and winning major titles. I especially highlight the conquest of the 2023 Copa do Brasil, an unprecedented and historic title that symbolizes the serious, responsible, and committed work carried out during the administration.

This performance is the result of the joint effort of athletes, the coaching staff, and club professionals, to whom I express my respect and trust.

I am absolutely convinced that they will continue to honor this jersey and fight for titles, with the support of the fans and the institution. My departure also aims to allow any investigations to occur broadly, technically, and impartially, without any claim of interference, so that the truth can be fully sought and achieved.

I reiterate, finally, my certainty that São Paulo Futebol Clube is greater than any position, circumstance, or constructed narrative.

I resign from the Presidency to preserve my health and protect my family. I will never renounce São Paulo Futebol Clube, the love of my childhood and my life. What I do renounce is the environment of conspiracies, distortions, lies, and power struggles that have exceeded democratic limits and tried to tarnish careers, biographies, and the very history of the club.

I say goodbye with respect, gratitude, and everlasting love for this institution, which I will always honor.

Júlio Casares“.

Understand the Crisis

The political crisis at São Paulo began back in 2025 with a “split” between Julio Casares and Carlos Belmonte, former football director, due to issues of political succession. The situation became unsustainable after the 6-0 thrashing by Fluminense, which led to the departures of Belmonte and directors Nelson Marques Ferreira and Fernando Bracalle Ambrogi.

Pressure on Casares began to mount from December 16, with the revelation of an illegal ticket sales scheme for concerts in a Morumbis box. Mara Casares, São Paulo’s female, cultural, and events director and the president’s ex-wife, and Douglas Schwartzmann, assistant youth football director, were named and requested leave from their respective positions. The Civil Police opened an inquiry to investigate the case.

Soon after, on December 22, the Civil Police also began investigating a supposed money diversion scheme in the sale of athletes, started in 2021, at the beginning of Casares’ administration. Faced with this scenario, the “Salve o Tricolor Paulista” council group filed an impeachment request against the president, based on articles 63, 79, and 112 of the club’s Social Statute.

Then, last Tuesday, the Civil Police investigation identified suspicious transactions related to Julio Casares, pointed out by reports from Coaf (Financial Activities Control Council).

The president of São Paulo allegedly received R$ 1.5 million in cash deposits into his checking account between January 2023 and May 2025, a period during which he was already managing Tricolor. In an official statement, the president’s lawyers claimed there was no irregularity of any kind.

Then, last Thursday, a day before the impeachment vote, the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the State of São Paulo (MP-SP) opened a civil inquiry to investigate possible reckless management at São Paulo, with indications of asset depletion, misuse of purpose, favoritism toward third parties or relatives of executives, and possible irregular use of public resources or tax benefits.

To gather information, the agency listed a series of names and entities that may be called to provide information and clarifications. On the list, besides Julio Casares, president of São Paulo, and members of the club’s board, are Samir Xaud, president of the CBF, and Reinaldo Carneiro Bastos, president of the Paulista Football Federation (FPF).

Casares Administration

Casares was first elected president of São Paulo in December 2020, leading the club during the 2021-2023 term. Belonging to the “Juntos pelo São Paulo” ticket, with Harry Massis Jr. as vice, he received 155 votes against 78 for the “Resgate Tricolor” ticket, headed by Roberto Natel.

In 2023, the executive ran unopposed and was re-elected president of São Paulo for the 2024-2026 term. There were 194 votes in favor, with 30 blank and ten null votes.

During his time at the helm of the club, Casares won three titles: the Campeonato Paulista (2021), the Copa do Brasil (2023), and the Supercopa do Brasil (2024).

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