Leila Pereira sues Palmeiras official over sexist, offensive remarks | OneFootball

Palmeiras president Leila Pereira has filed a lawsuit seeking damages for moral harm against board member José Corona Neto, claiming she was the target of personal attacks and sexist remarks during a meeting of the club’s Deliberative Council, NOSSO PALESTRA. has learned.

In the lawsuit, filed with the 41st Civil Court of the Central Forum of São Paulo, Leila is seeking R$50,000 in moral damages as well as a public retraction from the board member.

The president argues that Corona went beyond the limits of political and administrative criticism by calling her “wasteful” and “incompetent,” saying that “whoever does not understand football should stay at home,” and describing her administration as “losing.” According to Leila, the remarks went beyond the scope of internal club disagreement and became a personal attack, with an offensive and discriminatory character.

Palmeiras president’s counterattack

The move comes ahead of the conciliation hearing in the lawsuit Corona himself filed against Leila. The board member was the first to turn to the courts, in a R$20,000 moral damages suit in which he claims he was called a “failure,” “coward,” and “unbalanced” by the executive during the same meeting. The case is proceeding under No. 4004882-93.2026.8.26.0011, in the 1st Court of the Special Civil Court of the Central/Vergueiro JEC, under Judge Fernando Salles Amaral.

In the lawsuit filed by Corona, Leila has already voluntarily appeared in the case file and stated that she has no interest in holding a conciliation hearing. Alternatively, she requested that, if the hearing were maintained, it be held virtually, given the animosity between the parties and in order to preserve her privacy. The court scheduled the virtual hearing for May 18, 2026, at 4:30 p.m.

The difference between the paths chosen by the parties also draws attention. Corona took his complaint to the Special Civil Court, a venue intended for less complex cases, with simplified procedures, more streamlined acts and, as a rule, no award of legal fees for the prevailing party at first instance. Leila, in turn, opted for the ordinary courts, a procedural setting that allows for broader evidentiary proceedings and a wider discussion about the context of the meeting, the public impact of the remarks, the damage to the president’s image, and the alleged gender bias.

In the petition, Leila states that Corona’s statements were not confined to the internal environment of the Deliberative Council. According to the president, the episode gained traction in press outlets, on social media, and on digital channels, amplifying the damage to her honor, image, and professional reputation.

The request for retraction was made as an obligation to act. Leila’s defense argues that financial compensation alone would not be enough to neutralize the effects of the statements, since the remarks reached a significant audience outside the club. For that reason, it asks that Corona be ordered to publish a public retraction on his communication channels, with reach proportional to that of the remarks considered offensive, under penalty of a fine.

The lawsuit also argues that the phrase “whoever does not understand football should stay at home” should not be analyzed as a simple sporting opinion. For Leila, the statement reinforces the idea that women do not belong in the leadership of sports institutions, in an environment that has historically been male-dominated. The petition highlights that she is the first woman to preside over Palmeiras in more than a century of history.

It recalls the argument at the council meeting

In December 2025, José Corona Neto made harsh criticism of the Palmeiras president’s work during the season, such as the high amount invested in signings to build the squad and the possibility raised of changing the bylaws to allow for a third presidential term.

In addition, the board member said that Leila Pereira inherited a championship-winning squad put together by former director Alexandre Mattos and former president Maurício Galiotte.

After José Corona’s speech, the president was given the right to respond and said she would not accept being disrespected and that she would seek legal means to take the board member to court.

The meeting featured a heated exchange between the Palmeiras president and José Corona Neto, who had to be restrained by security guards and was removed from the event.

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