Casares relieved as 2026 budget plan narrowly passes council | OneFootball

It was on the edge of the shards, but Julio Casares achieved a victory in a week of terrible news and increased pressure on his management with the Box Scandals, where two government directors, Douglas Schwartzmann, then responsible for the club's youth categories, and Mara Casares, the former wife of the president and director of culture and events, were removed for being involved in a controversy over the allocation of a space in the tricolor stadium for a concert by Colombian singer Shakira, in March.

With 112 votes in favor and 107 against, Casares had his budget plan for 2026 approved by the Deliberative Council.

The tight vote in itself shows the loss of power of the president in internal politics. But the maneuver built during the week, after the scandal, paid off. Many former allies of the president, who did not want to publicly position themselves against Casares, ended up influencing the result. In total, there were four abstentions and 31 councilors absent from the vote and who did not participate in the process.

AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR found out from councilors, both from the situation and the opposition, that the result was expected. Although there was some optimism from those opposed to Casares to block the budget on the night of this Wednesday (18), when the vote began, the atmosphere was already different this morning. It was known that the president's supporters had made arrangements to at least empty the vote for those who did not openly jump ship.

Casares once again secured a victory in the body after a series of political defeats, the most significant being the failure to even schedule a vote on the Cotia FIP projects and the agreement with Magnum for the implementation of the SPFC Bank, which would certainly have been defeated.

THE BUDGET FOR 2026

The budget proposal for São Paulo for 2026 reveals that for another year, Julio Casares' management bets on the sale of youth or professional players and revenues from the Morumbi stadium, whether from ticket sales or shows, as pillars to end with profit.

According to the numbers accessed by AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR, the São Paulo management's plan is to end the next year with a presumed surplus of R$ 37.9 million, with total revenues of R$ 931.8 million and estimated expenses of R$ 893.8 million (see detailed numbers below).

The number can be seen as modest. Rival Palmeiras, for example, estimated in its budget plan, approved on Tuesday (16), a profit exceeding R$ 2 billion.

As has become routine in Casares' management, the club's revenues are basically supported by player negotiations and its stadium.

The budget points to R$ 121.9 million coming from the Morumbi stadium, including ticket sales, events, and other forms of commercial exploitation.

Professional football remains the main financial pillar of the club, with a forecast of R$ 487.1 million in revenues. Within this amount, R$ 180.6 million are directly tied to player negotiations.

The budget also includes R$ 525 thousand in general administration revenues and R$ 4.2 million in financial revenues. The social club is expected to raise R$ 80.2 million, while marketing appears as one of the main sources, with an estimated R$ 237.7 million, driven by sponsorships, advertising, and commercial contracts.

On the expense side, the club projects R$ 787.6 million in operational expenses in 2026. The largest volume is concentrated in professional football, with projected expenses of R$ 542.2 million, which include salaries, awards, logistics, and operational costs of the main squad. The youth football is expected to spend R$ 58.9 million throughout the year.

General administration concentrates R$ 15.2 million, while the financial and control board totals R$ 4.8 million. The legal and compliance boards appear with R$ 7.2 million, and the administrative board with R$ 12.1 million.

Other areas also have significant weight in the budget. The infrastructure board has a forecast of R$ 9.9 million in expenses, the Morumbi stadium should consume R$ 32.7 million, and the social club R$ 71.2 million. Marketing appears with R$ 26.9 million, and the communication board with R$ 6.1 million.

In addition to operational expenses, São Paulo also estimates R$ 106.2 million in financial expenses, related to interest, charges, and debt commitments.

CONTROVERSY

The atmosphere heated up at the São Paulo Deliberative Council meeting on the night of this Wednesday (17). A group of fans, probably members of organized supporters, staged a protest at the entrance gate to the noble hall of Morumbi and even tried to invade the place, requiring the club's security to act. The Military Police were called to help contain the protesters.

The meeting this evening was scheduled for councilors to vote on São Paulo's budget plan for 2026. But it was evident that echoes of the Box Scandal were expected.

The Council meeting was anticipated by manifestations from the unified opposition bloc, which has been gaining strength with the wear and tear of Casares' management, and promises of 'side changes' from former allies of the president dissatisfied with the recent corruption cases reported by the press.

Moreover, taking advantage of the general support from the fans, the opposition promised to significantly complicate the approval of the accounts and goals for the next year suggested by the current government.

Another controversial topic that would be raised by Casares and his allies at the meeting are the statutory changes planned by the governing group in a damage control meeting held on Tuesday (16). The São Paulo president wants to facilitate the approval of the transformation of São Paulo into an SAF, loosening the voting for it, in addition to officially separating professional and youth football from the social club.

This evening's meeting includes only the Council's leadership in the club. The virtual participation and voting of the members were allowed. As a reflection of the protest, Abreu has already informed the councilors that the meeting will have a shorter duration than expected, citing security reasons.

Image: Anotações Tricolores

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