STJD overturns ruling, Corinthians rush to allow fans at opener

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Central do Timão

·10 January 2026

STJD overturns ruling, Corinthians rush to allow fans at opener

By Mirella Ramos / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Corinthians still does not have confirmation whether it will be able to count on the presence of fans at the debut of the Paulista Championship, scheduled for this Sunday (11), against Ponte Preta, at Neo Química Arena. The Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) overturned a release granted by the São Paulo Sports Justice Court (TJD-SP) and ordered the enforcement of penalties previously applied to the club.

The sanctions refer to incidents recorded in the second match of the Paulista Championship final against Palmeiras. Given this new scenario, the Corinthians board is already working behind the scenes in another attempt to overturn the decision, aiming to ensure the presence of the Fiel (Corinthians fans) at the season opener.

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Photo: Alexandre Kocinas/Corinthians

In October of last year, the STJD had determined that Corinthians would play the first match of the Paulistão behind closed doors. In addition, the North Sector of the Arena was to be closed for the following game. However, at the beginning of this year, the TJD-SP suspended the penalties, allowing the public to attend. Based on this previous decision, the club even began selling tickets for the match against Ponte Preta, open to the general public since last Tuesday (5).

The sanctions imposed by the STJD include a fine of R$ 85,000 and the closure of the North Sector of Neo Química Arena due to the use of flares, as well as a fine of the same amount and closed doors for one match because of the use of fireworks.

In addition to the sanctions related to the fans, Corinthians had obtained the reversal of suspensions imposed on players José Martínez and Rodrigo Garro. However, even if this reversal were also overturned—which has not yet been confirmed—neither would be available for Sunday’s match: Martínez remains in Venezuela resolving passport issues, while Garro is recovering from surgery on the scaphoid bone in his left wrist.

With uncertainty regarding the presence of fans, Corinthians maintains its schedule for the Paulista Championship debut this Sunday (11), at 4pm, at Neo Química Arena, against Ponte Preta.

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