Won’t get involved! Leila Pereira speaks on Vasco, praises Lamacchia

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Papo na Colina

·2 de junio de 2026

Won’t get involved! Leila Pereira speaks on Vasco, praises Lamacchia

Palmeiras president Leila Pereira broke her silence and publicly commented on the ongoing negotiations between her stepson, businessman Marcos Lamacchia, and Vasco. In an interview with POD_i, a podcast hosted by journalist Andréia Sadi, the businesswoman made a point of stressing that she stays completely away from these financial talks, but she praised her relative. The deal on the table is worth more than R$ 2 billion for the definitive transfer of 90% of the assets of the Rio club’s professional football department.

The Palmeiras president emphasized the buyer’s financial independence to dismiss any rumors of a conflict of interest in the football market. She explained the family background, saying:

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“I have nothing to do with this. My stepson is negotiating with Vasco, yes. My stepson’s life is completely independent from his father’s. He does not work with us. He is totally independent. He is an honest person. Any club that has my stepson as owner will be getting a great deal. He is a Brazilian with assets in Brazil and the ability to rebuild any club. I think it’s a great deal. He is still in talks, and I’m not involved.”

+ Relegation alert! Marcos Lamacchia demands emergency meeting at Vasco over sporting risk

Defense of the club-company model

The president of the São Paulo club also used the interview to openly defend the consolidation of the SAF model in Brazilian football. Even while holding the top position at a traditional member-run institution, she gave a blunt assessment of the political landscape, stating:

“I don’t see a future for these member-run clubs. I support the club-company model. I think that for there to be continuity, the club needs an owner. In these member-run clubs, the president is too often driven by politics and is always worried about votes.”

The president’s remarks provide important moral backing for Pedrinho at a moment of extreme turmoil behind the scenes at Colina Histórica. The investor has shown serious concern about the sporting risk of relegation and requested urgent meetings with the entire top leadership of the association after the team entered the relegation zone of the Brazilian Championship. The businessman is demanding speed in signing the contract drafts so that the football department led by Admar Lopes can use the financial resources to pursue targeted reinforcements in the July transfer window.

Legal clash with former controlling owners of Vasco SAF

The progress of the contractual talks to seal the sale of control of Vasco SAF must overcome strong resistance from the legal department of 777 Carioca. The subsidiary of 777 Partners filed a judicial petition signed by the law firm Monteiro de Castro, Setoguti Advogados to try to block any act that threatens its contractual ownership rights. The American company formally notified the interested buyer to warn about the ongoing dispute, claiming that it still legally retains ownership of 70% of the company’s shares.

The foreign holding company’s lawyers argue before the arbitration chamber that the effects of the injunction issued by the TJRJ merely temporarily suspended its political and economic rights in day-to-day management. Vasco took over administrative control of professional football and disregarded the former business partner’s control guarantees.

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