Ugly scenes: Massis calls rival ‘Judas’, row with ex-aide | OneFootball

Tensions flared on Monday night (1) at São Paulo, before the start of the Deliberative Council’s vote to suspend the body’s president, Olten Ayres de Abreu, for 120 days as a preventive measure. It shows that the club’s current phase on and off the pitch is affecting tempers.

According to what AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR learned, president Harry Massis lost his temper when he ran into Daurio Speranzini in the Noble Hall. More than one witness saw the moment when the chairman called a former member of the administration who is seeking to run in the end-of-year elections for the opposition a “Judas” (a reference to a traitor).

Upon hearing the insult, Speranzini fired back and started a heated argument with Massis. Although brief, both shouted attacks at each other, drawing the attention of those present.

A former member of Legião, the political group led by Carlos Belmonte, and elected councilman while backing Julio Casares, Speranzini has been moving among opposition ranks since mid-2024, when he broke with what was then the governing base.

Speranzini’s name came into the spotlight this year, when in February he took on, alongside Flávio Marques, a well-known opposition figure, the role of special advisor to the presidency for budget and financial control.

Together, the two were the main pillars behind the creation of the Institutional Transformation Movement, which established new guidelines for the club’s governance.

Both Speranzini and Marques came into conflict with president Harry Massis for two reasons. First, because they opposed the chairman’s plans to seek re-election. Then, they voted against some issues put forward by the administration, such as approval of the 2025 financial statements and the contract renewal with New Balance.

After Marques was “dismissed” by Massis in mid-April, Speranzini packed up and left the administration in early May and has since been working internally to become the opposition candidate in the end-of-year presidential election, despite the viability of his name losing strength amid growing resistance among members and councilors.

Members of the broad opposition slate admit that although Speranzini is considered prepared for the role, the political wear and tear surrounding the revelation of his involvement in Operation Car Wash in 2018, when he was even arrested, made it impossible to build a competitive candidacy. Recurring criticism of the businessman behind the scenes at the club began to directly influence the electorate. A decision made early last year by the Federal Supreme Court, however, acquitted him for lack of evidence.

VOTE

São Paulo’s Deliberative Council is voting on the removal of Olten Ayres de Abreu from the presidency of the Council until the conclusion of the judgment of his case before the Ethics Committee.

The vote began at 10 p.m. (Brasília time) on Monday and ends at 5 p.m. (Brasília time) this Tuesday (2).

Olten decided to step away from the position of his own accord and can now be suspended by the councilors for another 120 days. A simple majority is enough to confirm the suspension.

On May 7, the Civil Police opened an investigation to look into a suspicion that Olten made false statements in an opinion issued by the Advisory Council.

Before São Paulo’s Ethics Committee, Olten is being tried in proceedings that may recommend his expulsion from the association’s membership. Previously, he had removed the entire Ethics Committee and appointed new members, in an act that was annulled by João Farias, the Council’s vice president.

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