Eighth hearing on Corinthians statute reform discusses oversight bodies | OneFootball

At the beginning of the evening this Thursday (29), the Corinthians Deliberative Council held the eighth public hearing in the cycle of debates on the Club's Bylaws Reform, focusing on the composition, functioning, voting processes, and absences of the Fiscal Council and also the Advisory Council (Cori).

Held in the amphitheater at Parque São Jorge, the meeting once again took place without the presence of officially appointed members of the Corinthians Executive Board and without broadcast by Corinthians TV. The gathering brought together about 30 people, featured nine speakers, and lasted just over two hours.

Photo: Henrique Vigliotti/ Central do Timão

Fernando de Souza, representative of the Coletivo Voz Corinthiana, began his speech by arguing that the Advisory Council should be composed of members elected in a general assembly of associates. According to him, any member interested in joining Cori should not hold positions in other club bodies, such as the Fiscal Council, Deliberative Council, or current or previous boards, extending this restriction to relatives. He also highlighted the importance of requiring higher education, understanding that it is a technical position.

The Coletivo Voz Corinthiana also called for the elimination of ex-officio members of Cori, presenting an alternative proposal in which only the president of the Deliberative Council would retain this right, excluding the presidents of the Executive Board, aiming to avoid conflicts of interest, since a former president could not oversee decisions made during their own administration. The group also advocated for all Cori meeting minutes to be officially published on the Transparency Portal, allowing fans access to the topics discussed and the list of participants in the body's meetings.

Felipe Ezabella, triennial councilor and Cori member, initially stated that he intended to defend the current model of election for Cori and the Fiscal Council, but said he was left in doubt after the proposal presented by Coletivo Voz Corinthiana, suggesting the matter be discussed by the Bylaws Reform Commission. Ezabella questioned article 90, item 6, which prevents members of previous boards from joining Cori or the Fiscal Council, emphasizing the importance of having the experience of these people and their potential contribution to the body.

Regarding ex-officio members, Ezabella argued that the new restriction should apply only to the presidents of the last three boards, allowing other former presidents to retain the position, including the presidents of the Deliberative Council. The councilor also proposed removing the right of ex-officio members to call emergency meetings.

Ezabella also suggested that the article requiring all contracts with terms longer than the board's mandate be discussed in Cori should be changed, establishing a value limit, since the body usually meets only once a month. The president of the Deliberative Council, Romeu Tuma Jr., requested a point of order to clarify that it is necessary to define a list of contracts that must go through the Council, arguing that, in his view, previous administrations took advantage of Cori being a body with a small number of participants, making it easier to approve decisions of the acting board.

Still on the topic, Tuma cited examples of negotiations and contracts that were submitted to Cori and the Deliberative Council with certain terms, but were later changed. He also mentioned backstage questions about a possible conflict of interest between Corinthians and LFU, due to the presence of football executive Marcelo Paz, who is president of the broadcasting rights group with which the club has a contract.

The third speaker was Roberson de Medeiros, former president of the Ethics and Discipline Committee during Augusto Melo's administration and former president of Cori during Andrés Sanchez's administration, when he recommended the rejection of the then president's accounts. Known as Dunga at Parque São Jorge, he mainly advocated for the elimination of ex-officio members, proposing that the last president cannot be elected or join any of these bodies. Dunga also criticized the attitude of some members who, according to him, only show up when the topic is considered highly relevant.

In a point of order, Tuma highlighted the need for greater transparency in Cori's minutes, pointing out that those currently recorded are not very detailed. He also argued that any member of the Deliberative Council present at Cori meetings should be required to report back to the Council itself.

Next, Vinícius Cascone, triennial councilor and former legal director of the club, spoke and presented a new proposal during the meeting: to include the former financial director of the last administration as a Cori member, so that he can explain past decisions, share details of his experience, and guide the body more broadly. In a point of order, Fernando de Souza, who had spoken initially, argued that if ex-officio members are maintained, they should not have voting rights.

Miguel Marques e Silva, current president of Cori, asked to speak and highlighted that the body has been guiding the management of Osmar Stabile, just as it did during Augusto Melo's administration, but, according to him, "the result is there." In a point of order to associate Cyrillo Cavalheiro Neto, Romeu Tuma emphasized that the Deliberative, Fiscal, and Cori Councils functioned properly in the last three administrations, stating that the last three presidents would have been removed or sanctioned if not for the individual actions of those who presided over the bodies at the time.

In his speech, Cyrillo argued that Cori should have the power to evaluate all contracts whose terms exceed the duration of the administration, regardless of the type of contract, except those related to athletes. According to him, service contracts, broadcasting rights, or sponsorships that exceed the mandate should be mandatorily analyzed by the body.

Hicham Said Abbas, from Coletivo Família Corinthians, suggested the inclusion of independent members in the oversight bodies, with two representatives from external companies participating in meetings and in advisory and oversight activities, bringing a more professional perspective. He also argued that contracts for athletes and the coaching staff should be analyzed by Cori and the Fiscal Council before being approved.

After Hicham's speech, Tuma explained how the criteria for the voting text will be defined and informed that the last public hearing will possibly be restricted to deliberative councilors, without the presence of external people. According to him, the measure aims to preserve the previously defined schedule and prevent councilors from trying to block the vote, as happened at the end of 2025.

Tuma also informed that the draft text should possibly be made available before Carnival, ensuring public access and full knowledge of the points to be voted on in the Bylaws Reform. He explained that he is setting the date for the official call of the General Assembly of associates, which, by statute, must occur 30 days in advance, but he seeks to avoid loopholes for councilors or associates to try to block the vote.

The president of the Deliberative Council also stated that he is committed to ensuring that the bylaws vote is completed by the end of March, although he is already considering the possibility of extending it to the first week of April, the month in which the vote on the approval or not of the 2025 accounts takes place, in order to avoid procedural nullities.

Paulo Roberto Bastos Pedro, current secretary of Cori, criticized the body for being "bloated," but still defended the presence and maintenance of ex-officio members, proposing that the evaluation be done on a case-by-case basis, based on the criterion of "good faith," to determine which former presidents deserve to occupy the position. He also opposed the requirement for academic training restricted to certain areas to join the body, arguing that proof of experience in business management would be sufficient. He then addressed the political pressure that council members are subject to due to their roles, emphasizing that such pressures are inherent to the position. Paulo Pedro finally defended the need for pacification in the club's final debates around the draft bill.

Caetano Blandini, triennial councilor and Cori member, recalled that, in the transition from Duilio Monteiro Alves's administration to Augusto Melo, Duilio signed debt confessions that, in Blandini's view, should have been submitted to Cori. In a point of order, Tuma called the E&Y case "shameful," in which the club hired the audit, later gave up the service, and to this day has not presented results to the Council.

The president of the Deliberative Council added that the amounts spent on this audit could have been used, for example, to make signings, and questioned the board's actions both in this case and in the 2024 situation, when Matheuzinho trained without a contract, considering both behaviors shameful.

Tuma also stated that Cori is required to oversee any business involving the sale or signing of Corinthians players above 40,000 minimum wages, which must necessarily go through the Advisory Council. Caetano Blandini and the Cori president emphasized that they have been making demands in this regard, but are not always heeded, especially in cases of sales or acquisitions made at the last moments of transfer windows, when, by an unwritten rule, Cori waives the need for formal authorization.

Caetano Blandini again cited the bylaws when requesting that the article providing for the delivery of documentation or contracts "within a reasonable period" be amended, suggesting that a predetermined deadline be set for fulfilling such requests.

Councilor Haroldo Dantas, president of the Fiscal Council, was the next to speak. He questioned the motivations behind the debates on the bylaws reform and stated that he considers the club's oversight bodies to be fully functional. He then passed the word to representative Cláudio Senise, who questioned the low number of members of the Fiscal Council, currently made up of three people, with a planned increase to five in the draft bill. He said the body conducted a survey on how this area operates in other clubs and large companies, aiming to support the drafting of proposals for the April 2024 draft bill.

Senise regretted that several suggestions were not incorporated by the commission and warned of what he considers an excess of duties assigned to the Fiscal Council by the current text. He also reported problems during the approval of the accounts of former president Duilio Monteiro Alves, recalling that the current Fiscal Council took office on February 1, 2024, and had only seven days to review the accounts, whose final deadline was February 8. Senise suggested that, from now on, the new deadline should be at least 60 days.

The councilor also endorsed previously discussed proposals on expanding the training requirements to join the Fiscal Council and suggested creating a repository of minutes to store documents with previous decisions of the body, and argued that elected members of the Fiscal Council should only take office after the accounts of the last year of the board have been reviewed by the previous composition of the body.

Upcoming hearings

Next Monday (2), the ninth public hearing will be held, with agendas focused on the board, including governance, integrity and accountability; finances, covering revenues, expenses, limits and controls; and internal regulations and bylaws. Those interested in participating must register in advance by email at estatuto@sccorinthians.com.br, with a deadline up to three hours before the start of each session.

After the 11 scheduled public hearings are held, the Bylaws Reform Commission will consolidate the contributions received to draft the final version of the text, which will be submitted to a vote by the Deliberative Council and, subsequently, forwarded to the General Assembly of associates, scheduled for the end of March or beginning of April.

See more:

Experience the history and tradition of Corinthians at Parque São Jorge. Click HERE and secure your spot!

Corinthians News

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