Corinthians women's director slams schedule, reveals 2026 plans

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Central do Timão

·5 de diciembre de 2025

Corinthians women's director slams schedule, reveals 2026 plans

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Newsroom

On the evening of last Thursday (4), Corinthians hosted São Paulo at the Neo Química Arena for the second leg of the semifinals of the Paulista Women's Championship and ended up winning by a score of 2-1. The goals for the Alvinegro were scored by Duda Sampaio and Jaqueline. With this result, the Brabas advanced to the state final, having also won the first leg by 2-1.

Moments after the final whistle, Corinthians’ women's football director, Íris Sesso, gave an interview to the press and spoke about the impact of the last FIFA Date of the year being so close to the second leg of the Paulista Women's Championship semifinals. Corinthians had six players called up (five for Brazil and one for Venezuela), and all of them returned just hours before the Majestoso.

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Photo: Rodrigo Corsi/Agência Paulistão

The quintet from the Brazilian National Team arrived in Brazil late Wednesday afternoon (3), while Dayana Rodríguez checked in at 4 a.m. on the day of the match. Of these, the only one who started the match against São Paulo was goalkeeper Lelê. The others, meanwhile, were brought on in the second half by coach Lucas Piccinato.

The Corinthians director called for improvements in the calendar and organization by the entities responsible for the tournaments: “It was quite impactful, it really takes a toll, because athletes are not machines. They need to rest, to recover. The calendar was really very cruel, not just for Corinthians, but for all clubs with players in the national team. To give you an idea, Day came back this morning. The other five from the Brazilian National Team arrived yesterday afternoon and also played the day before. So, it’s very exhausting; it definitely has an impact.”

“It’s an issue we need to review, sit down again, review, and understand. The calendar works as follows: first comes FIFA, which sets the FIFA Dates in the calendar; then comes Conmebol, which sets the dates; then the CBF; and finally, each state federation. I think it’s a challenge for them as well, but this issue of putting the FIFA Date so close to decisive matches really gave us a not-so-good experience,” she began.

She was later asked about Corinthians’ wish to schedule the second leg of the Paulista Women's final, against Palmeiras, for December 13 (Saturday), so that the Derby could be held at Neo Química Arena. This is because on the 14th, Corinthians and Cruzeiro face each other in Itaquera for the second leg of the Copa do Brasil semifinals.

However, moving the match up by one day was not possible and the Paulista Football Federation set the second leg for December 14, at 10 a.m. (Brasília time), with the venue yet to be defined – Corinthians will be the home team.

“Actually, I’m still fighting hard so that we can play our match, which we now know is the second leg of the final, the decisive match, at home. We know that on the 14th there’s the men’s match, a very important game, the Copa do Brasil semifinal. So we understand we can’t play on Sunday. My request, both to the federation and to the broadcasters, is for us to play on Saturday, as I already have the president’s full approval to play here at Neo Química Arena on Saturday. I’m still fighting for this to happen,” she continued.

Next, she talked about contract renewals with some players. Recently, Corinthians announced the renewals of goalkeeper Nicole Ramos and right-back Gi Fernandes. In addition, goalkeeper Lelê’s renewal is in progress. On the other hand, left-back Tamires, defender Erika, and midfielder Gabi Zanotti, for example, have not yet agreed to extensions.

“We’re always in talks; we have a work philosophy, both in management and with the athletes and their agents. We really like to talk, to understand. Of course, the season isn’t over yet. So we’re concerned about keeping the players calm. The conversations are happening and have been for some time. But we have to respect the timing of each athlete, each profile, anyway, they’re happening, the renewals are happening, and at the right time we’ll announce them.”, she added.

Íris Sesso also commented on Corinthians’ partnership with Vizzela, which began sponsoring the women’s team this season and is a company specializing in women’s cosmetics. The brand generated considerable engagement among the Brabas’ fans and athletes.

“First, it was a huge satisfaction to have Vizzela with us as a partner. And it had a really great impact. So, for us, the athletes loved the products, they already knew them, already used them. And the fans themselves, the consumers, the loyal supporters, also embraced it. So it’s a partner we want to have forever, I think it’s the start of a partnership. I’m sure this will bear good fruit for both Corinthians and Vizzela,” she said.

Finally, the director spoke about the possibility of the women’s football team seeking new sponsors for the Brabas’ uniforms independently from the men’s team. Recently, it was reported that the Alvinegro is close to renewing its contract with Esportes da Sorte, the club’s main sponsor, which runs until December 2027 and is worth R$ 309 million over three years. Íris Sesso revealed talks with president Osmar Stabile on the subject.

“I have a lot of conversations with the president about various things, and this is one of them. So it’s important for us to be aligned, things are moving forward. I’ve already had this conversation with the president and he’s told me that yes, it’s possible, but everything is still in talks, in meetings, and at the right time it will definitely be announced.”

Regarding reinforcements for the 2026 season, she added: “Also, in these talks I have with the president, he’s very engaged with us, he’s really supporting us. We know the reality of Corinthians today, the club’s financial difficulties. But we also know we need to have an equally strong squad, as we always have, and we don’t want that quality to drop. So yes, we are talking to some players about signings. The fans can expect that we will definitely bring them in.”, she concluded.

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