Vice-president credits Stabile for keeping department at Corinthians | OneFootball

The situation involving Corinthians’ Integration Department has taken a new turn. After financial documents indicated that the area had no funds allocated in the 2026 budget, an email exchange obtained by Gazeta Esportiva showed that club officials discussed, at the beginning of the year, shutting down the department and dismissing its employees. Armando Mendonça, the club’s vice president, said the process was not completed by decision of president Osmar Stabile.

The new information contrasts with the explanation previously presented by Corinthians. When asked about the lack of budget allocation for Integration, the club had claimed there had been a mistake in the preparation of the document and maintained that the project was expected to continue this season.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Corinthians Agency

The case also draws attention because of the amounts involved. Documentation presented in the budgeting process pointed to expenses of R$ 922,930 for the department in 2025, with no revenue recorded during the period. Corinthians, on the other hand, had previously stated that the annual human resources cost of the structure would be R$ 564,128.

Emails show discussion about shutting down department

According to Gazeta Esportiva’s new report, the internal discussions about discontinuing Integration took place amid Corinthians’ process of reducing administrative expenses.

In an email sent on February 11, Roberto Toledo, manager of Field Sports, said he had received information from the vice presidency that the department would be deactivated. The message was forwarded to members of the administration, including Armando Mendonça and André Lavieri, manager of the Financial Department.

The closure of Integration was part of a broader package of cuts. According to the report, eliminating the area, along with ten other dismissals across different sectors, could represent savings of close to R$ 2 million per year for Corinthians.

A labor-related obstacle, however, emerged during the discussions. Gustavo Lott Fonseca, Integration’s administrative coordinator, was part of the Internal Commission for the Prevention of Accidents and Harassment (Cipa) and had temporary job protection.

Fábio Sader, manager of the Legal Department, recommended that Gustavo not be dismissed without cause because of the risk of compensation and possible reinstatement. The guidance was also reportedly supported by Marcos Vinicius de Souza Carvalho, a Human Resources professional.

In view of this, Armando Mendonça internally questioned the possibility of closing the structure and keeping only Gustavo until the end of his protected period, scheduled for June.

André Lavieri presented another alternative: officially announce the closure of the department and dismiss the other employees, while Gustavo could be temporarily reassigned to an administrative role already included in the restructuring or leave Corinthians of his own accord.

Roberto Toledo replied that he would look into other roles the professional could perform, as he believed Gustavo would not ask to leave.

On March 2, nearly a month after the first conversation, Armando again asked by email what the outcome of the situation had been. The department, however, remained in operation.

Armando Mendonça holds president responsible for continuation

Contacted by Gazeta Esportiva after the information was published, Armando Mendonça said he was aware that Integration remained active, but said he did not know the current expenses related to the structure.

The vice president also confirmed that, during the preparation of the financial plan for 2026, the discontinuation of the area had been defined.

“Considering the 2026 budget projection, prepared by the Financial Department together with the Financial Restructuring Group at the time and later approved by the Fiscal Council, Cori, and the Deliberative Council, at the beginning of the year it was decided to shut down the Integration Department. I then asked the manager of the Field Sports Department to arrange its closure, with the dismissal of the employees,” Armando said.

When asked by the publication why the procedure discussed in the emails had not been completed, the vice president replied directly:

“By decision of the president [Osmar Stabile].”

Former director disputes version of budget error

The new information also brings into question another explanation previously presented for Integration’s zeroed-out budget.

Fredy Marcelo Auricchio Esposito, the department’s coordinator, had attributed the absence of funds in the 2026 plan to an error made during Marco Polo’s management of Field Sports. Corinthians itself had also previously stated that there had been a mistake in including the area’s costs.

Marco Polo, however, denied making any mistake. According to the former official, the removal of the amounts happened because the guidance received during the preparation of the budget was precisely to discontinue Integration.

“Given the scenario proposed by the Financial Board and the president regarding cutting costs and expenses for the 2026 budget, in meetings with the Alvarez & Marsal team, the Financial Department, and Corinthians’ Financial and Administrative Restructuring Group, the discontinuation of the Integration Department was defined. Therefore, there was no oversight or error on my part, as mentioned in the report. I was carrying out what had been determined in the preparation of the budget,” he said.

When asked who later decided to keep the department, Marco Polo said he was not in a position to identify who was responsible, but reported that the matter reached the presidency after the internal discussions.

“I cannot say who made the final decision not to discontinue the department, but after the whole process had been carried out, the Financial Department, Alvarez & Marsal, and the Restructuring Group took the matter to the president.”

Gazeta Esportiva again contacted Corinthians to find out whether the current administration was aware of the discussions recorded in the emails, why the closure process did not move forward, and what the justification was for keeping the structure. By the time the report was published, the club had not provided a new response.

Documents pointed to spending of R$ 922,000 in 2025

The Integration Department had already become the target of questions after the release of data referring to the 2025 fiscal year.

According to documentation accessed by Gazeta Esportiva, the structure accumulated R$ 922,930 in expenses during the period and generated no revenue. Of that total, R$ 866,930 was related to personnel, while another R$ 56,000 corresponded to services.

Currently, four professionals are part of the structure: Fredy Marcelo Auricchio Esposito, coordinator of Youth Football Integration; Gustavo Lott Fonseca, administrative coordinator; Wagner Rivera Rodrigues, scouting supervisor; and Matheus Marques Teles, football coach.

According to the figures in the document, considering pay, charges, vacation, and 13th-month salary, Fredy would represent a monthly cost of R$ 28,248, while Gustavo would account for R$ 22,625. Wagner would cost R$ 13,986 per month and Matheus, R$ 7,386.

Added up over the year, the costs related to the four professionals would total the R$ 866,930 listed under personnel.

Corinthians disputes that figure. In a previous statement, the club said the department’s annual human resources expense would be R$ 564,128. The difference between the amounts shown in the documentation and by the club has still not been clarified.

Department was created in 2024

Integration was launched in March 2024, during Augusto Melo’s presidency. At the time, Corinthians presented the area as a structure aimed at the development of young players from the Under-11 to Under-17 categories and at bringing Youth Football, Chute Inicial, the club’s official school network, and Cifac, an internal competition for members, closer together.

In a previous statement, Corinthians explained that the department also evaluates young players coming from the membership base, Chute Inicial, referrals from members, and external processes, in addition to monitoring players with little playing time in the youth categories.

After a positive evaluation in Integration, the athlete is sent for a new assessment in Youth Football, which is responsible for deciding on possible approval.

The club also said that three athletes were in a trial period and mentioned the “Clinics” project, conceived as a future possibility for generating revenue through activities and tournaments in partnership with Chute Inicial abroad.

Case unfolds amid attempt to reduce expenses

The discussion about keeping the department comes as Corinthians goes through a financial reorganization process and seeks to reduce its administrative costs.

The content of the disclosed emails itself indicates that the possible extinction of Integration was part of a broader expense-reduction plan. In addition, the approved 2026 budget showed zero amounts for the area’s revenue and expenses.

The new version presented by Armando Mendonça therefore adds another element to the case: according to the vice president, the shutdown had in fact been determined within the planning, but it was not carried out because of a decision by Osmar Stabile.

With different versions presented by current and former members of the administration, it still remains to be clarified why the initial guidance was changed, what the department’s actual cost is in 2026, and how its continuation came to be financially provided for after the approval of a budget that allocated no resources to the structure.

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