Marcelo Paz accepts invitation, becomes new Corinthians executive | OneFootball

Marcelo Paz is the new football executive at Corinthians. The professional, who served as CEO of Fortaleza, accepted Timão's invitation to replace Fabinho Soldado and has left Leão do Pici.

The information was confirmed by Fabiano Barreira, president of Fortaleza's Board of Directors. He wrote a message on his social media to announce Marcelo Paz's departure from the northeastern club.

See the full post below:

“As President of the Board of Directors of Fortaleza Esporte Clube SAF, I publicly clarify and officially inform about the departure of Marcelo Paz, who will now embark on a new professional challenge with Sport Club Corinthians Paulista.

From the very beginning, we worked for Paz to remain at Fortaleza. In fact, initially, his stay was aligned and seemed likely to continue. However, as discussions progressed, there was a change in his personal and professional decision. Given this, we understood that it was not our place to prevent this move, and we respect his choice.

I want to clearly record our recognition and gratitude for everything Marcelo Paz has built throughout his journey at the club. He is, without a doubt, one of the greatest presidents in Fortaleza’s history and one of the main people responsible for the club’s progress towards modernity, administrative organization, and the national prominence that Tricolor has achieved in recent years.

His leadership was marked by courage, strategic vision, and decisions that repositioned Fortaleza in the Brazilian football scene. This legacy remains and will continue to be a fundamental part of our history.

We recognize that this news comes at a sensitive time, especially amid the process of squad reformulation and restructuring of the club. Still, it is important to reinforce: no one is bigger than Fortaleza. The institution remains solid, with planning, responsibility, and focus on the future.

To our fans, we leave a message of reassurance. We are working to define the next steps as soon as possible and ensure the continuity of the project. The commitment to Fortaleza, its greatness, and its fans remains unchanged.

This moment calls for unity, maturity, and confidence. Fortaleza has always been greater than any challenge—and will continue to be.”

(Photo: Mateus Lotif/FEC)

According to Gazeta Esportiva, Marcelo Paz had already been in talks with Corinthians even before Bruno Spindel withdrew and was seen internally as a more affordable option. For this reason, Timão halted negotiations with Spindel, who was also facing resistance from coach Dorival Júnior.

Osmar Stabile’s board was in a hurry to close the deal and avoid further compromising next season’s planning.

Longstanding wish

Marcelo Paz was previously invited to take over as CEO of Corinthians during Augusto Melo’s administration. However, he declined the offer and chose to remain at Fortaleza.

He has served as football director, vice president, president, and was CEO of the SAF (Sociedade Anônima do Futebol) of Leão do Pici.

New role?

In addition to hiring a new executive, Corinthians is considering hiring a football manager. This professional would be responsible for managing the locker room and overseeing the day-to-day at CT Joaquim Grava, a role previously held by Fabinho Soldado.

The alvinegra board likes the idea of having a former player in this position. One of the names being considered is Paulinho, a Timão idol who currently plays for Mirassol.

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