Lula suggests selling Fazendinha to help Corinthians clear Arena debt | OneFootball

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva voiced concern over Corinthians’ debt to Caixa for the Neo Química Arena and floated selling Fazendinha to help settle it. "I am worried about Corinthians," he said. "The club borrowed R$ 400 million to build the stadium, has paid R$ 1.075 billion and still owes R$ 600 thousand, it is because of the interest."

Speaking on the Desce a Letra podcast, he said he had recently discussed the matter with Caixa.

In early September, São Paulo’s Public Prosecutor opened an administrative procedure to verify how much remains outstanding on the Arena financing, after expert Anísio Costa Castelo Branco flagged possible inconsistencies in penalties and charges.

The report cited a difference of about R$ 255.7 million between calculations and the bank’s figures, and ordered a fresh review from the 2013 contract onwards, including payments and update criteria. The bank has not flagged irregularities in the operation.

Lula said he had suggested to Caixa president Carlos Antônio Vieira Fernandes that a property agreement could enable the sale of Fazendinha, with proceeds directed to the Arena debt. "I donated R$ 1,013 in the Gaviões da Fiel campaign and we raised 8% of the total. Why leave Fazendinha idle, sell it and pay for the stadium so Corinthians can have cash and sign players."

Fazendinha remains in regular use at Parque São Jorge, hosting club activities and most home matches for the Brabas.

Corinthians ended the first half of 2026 with a R$ 246 million deficit and total debt near R$ 2.8 billion, and is facing market restrictions and delays in payments to the first-team squad.

Source: Meu Timao

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”