It's over: São Paulo board approves impeachment of president Julio Casares | OneFootball

Julio Casares is no longer the president of São Paulo. The opening of the impeachment process against the tricolor leader was approved by 188 votes in the election held on the night of this Friday (16).

Only 45 council members voted against, while two others voted blank.

With the approval of the process opening, the president of the club's Deliberative Council, Olten Ayres de Abreu, now has 30 days to call the general assembly of members. In this stage of the process, a simple majority of the paying members' votes confirms Casares' departure, who will continue as a council member and may even take on a director position in a future administration, but can no longer be a candidate, either for the council or for the presidency again.

Harry Massis Júnior, Casares' vice, will assume the top position of the Morumbi club until the end of the current term, at the end of the year.

This is the first time in history that a president of the Tricolor is removed from the presidency, making this Friday's election historic for São Paulo fans.

Even before the official announcement of the result, members of São Paulo's main organized fan groups were already celebrating the 'victory' at the Morumbi entrance, where they have been gathering and protesting since late afternoon.

The impeachment of Casares happens even after the leader received a favorable opinion from the Advisory Council, composed of cardinals and former presidents. This is the body that the former president will now be part of.

The reasons pointed out by the opponents for the impeachment request are for 'reckless management,' supported by the following arguments: successive budget non-compliance (high club debt above R$ 968.2 million by the end of 2024); alleged sale of players below market value in recent windows and alleged illegal sale of a box for a show by two club directors: Mara Casares, the president's ex-wife, and Douglas Schwartzman, who was responsible for the youth categories in Cotia (SP).

Before this scandal, however, there was another complaint against the Morumbi club involving its medical department, which was allegedly using weight-loss medication for players that did not have authorization from Brazilian health authorities, in addition to being purchased suspiciously, according to a Federal Revenue investigation.

The pressure on Casares, however, intensified after his name was leaked by the Civil Police in connection with embezzlement from São Paulo's coffers and financial transactions that occurred in cash, deposited directly into ATMs. The leader never openly addressed the accusations, limiting himself to statements through official notes from his lawyers, where he claims innocence and says he has evidence that he did not commit any illegalities.

Casares leaves the command of São Paulo after five years. In the sports field, he achieved three titles: the 2021 Paulista, the 2023 Copa do Brasil, and the 2024 Supercopa. But the cost was high: the leader tripled the debt, which now reaches R$ 1 billion.

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