Marcelo Paz on Corinthians role and meeting the Fiel

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Central do Timão

·29 December 2025

Marcelo Paz on Corinthians role and meeting the Fiel

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Announced last Saturday night (27th) as the new football executive at Corinthians, replacing Fabinho Soldado, Marcelo Paz gave an interview to Portal Léo Dias and was asked about his expectations for taking on the role at the club from Parque São Jorge, as well as his anticipation for experiencing the day-to-day life of the Alvinegro.

Marcelo Paz was responsible for the entire restructuring of Fortaleza, which elevated the club’s status on the national and international scene. During his time with the northeastern team, from 2015 to 2025, he served as football director, vice-president, president, and finally, CEO of the club’s SAF (Sociedade Anônima do Futebol).

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Photo: Matheus Amorim/Fortaleza

“Well, I thank God for this opportunity to serve a giant club on a global level. From yesterday to today, I have received affection from many people, people from all over Brazil, wishing me good luck and success. I’m happy about this agreement (with Corinthians). I thank President Osmar (Stabile) for his trust, for believing in me and making this invitation. And I want to give my best.”

“To integrate myself as quickly as possible with the people at the club, to increasingly understand the madness that is being Corinthians, to be part of this bunch of crazies, with a lot of professionalism and dedication, in pursuit of results worthy of the club’s greatness, and very soon to be there,” he began.

On the field, Fortaleza moved up from Série C in 2017 to Série B in 2019, reaching the national elite the following year under Rogério Ceni’s command. Since then, the northeastern team has twice finished fourth in the Brasileirão (2021 and 2024), qualifying for the Conmebol Libertadores in 2022 and 2025 (eliminated in the round of 16 both times), as well as being runners-up in the 2023 Copa Sudamericana, against LDU of Ecuador.

There were also seven state championships (2015, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23), a Taça dos Campeões Cearense (2016), and three Copa do Nordeste titles (2019, 22, and 24). Marcelo Paz is also president of Liga Forte União (LFU), a group of which Corinthians is a member.

In 2023, the business administrator and football manager was elected the best CEO in South America by Confut Sul-Americana and the best in Brazil by Confut in 2023. Later, he commented on the responsibility of serving as Corinthians’ executive and his desire to build a relationship with the Corinthians fanbase.

“Now I needed to take this new step and I am very happy about it, excited to do a great job and soon meet the Corinthians crowd in Itaquera, sing the Poropopó with everyone, and strive to win games, because that’s what brings joy to the fans. Certainly, being in charge of football at a club as big as Corinthians is huge, it brings a lot of responsibility. But, for sure, having this fanbase by your side is the most important thing, because the club’s greatness is proportional to the greatness of its fans, to their support. And we have to play with the crowd together, be transparent, be truthful, and together seek results,” he continued.

Finally, he revealed that he will reside in São Paulo due to the demands of the position at Corinthians. His family, meanwhile, will remain in Fortaleza: “And as for the air bridge, I don’t think it will happen much, because I’m going to Corinthians to work, to settle in São Paulo, to do my best. Of course, my family will stay in Fortaleza, so the air bridge will be more from them to São Paulo than from me to Fortaleza, especially because of the game schedule and the obligations that a football position imposes. So that won’t be a problem. I’m going to work, to do my best, and to make sure my family can always be as close as possible. I love my children, my wife, but they understand that this is a step I need to take, and we’ll do everything we can to maintain our presence together,” he concluded.

In his first days as Corinthians’ football executive, the director will have to decide, together with the board, the futures of four players whose contracts run until the end of this year: left-back Fabrizio Angileri, midfielder Maycon (on loan from Shakhtar Donetsk), and forwards Ángel Romero and Talles Magno (on loan from New York City, USA).

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