São Paulo face political turmoil again, president resigns after 11 years | OneFootball

São Paulo once again finds itself in a politically turbulent situation, and 11 years later, another president has resigned. Last Wednesday, Julio Casares stepped down from the presidency days after the approval of the impeachment process by the Deliberative Council and left the leadership of the tricolor club definitively.

11 years after Carlos Miguel Aidar's resignation, it was Julio Casares's turn to leave the position in the same manner following recent scandals in the press. The Civil Police are investigating an illegal ticket sales scheme for shows in a Morumbis suite, as well as possible embezzlement in athlete sales. The now ex-president is also under scrutiny by authorities for allegedly receiving R$ 1.5 million in cash between January 2023 and May 2025.

In 2015, Carlos Miguel Aidar faced a similar situation while leading São Paulo. The former president was the target of a series of corruption accusations — including embezzlement in player negotiations. The tipping point was an audio recording by Ataíde Gil Guerreiro, former director and vice-president of the administration, in which Aidar allegedly confessed to corrupt practices.

Carlos Miguel Aidar resigned from the presidency of São Paulo on October 13. His administration was marked by corruption allegations and political scandals. His departure was finalized after the vice-president of football, Ataíde Gil Guerreiro, told the councilors that he had recorded Aidar admitting to illicit acts within the club. (Photo: Fernando Dantas/Gazeta Press)

At the time, Ataíde Gil Guerreiro sent an email to the former leader and tricolor councilors stating he had evidence that Aidar was embezzling money from athlete negotiations. Another blow to the former president was the allegation that the agreement with supplier Under Armour resulted in a R$ 6 million commission to the company of Aidar's girlfriend, Cinira Maturana.

Amid the scandals, Aidar was left with virtually no allies. The opposition was even beginning to organize to file an impeachment request. In the chaotic scenario, the president resigned from São Paulo's presidency on October 13, 2015, two years before the end of his term. He handed his resignation to the president of the Deliberative Council, Carlos Augusto de Barros e Silva, known as Leco, and said: “I handed the paper to Carlos Augusto. He is the new president.”

More than a decade later, the scenario repeats

After 11 years, the scenario repeated itself at São Paulo. Pressure on Casares began to mount from December 16, with the revelation of an illegal ticket sales scheme for shows in a Morumbis suite. Mara Casares, São Paulo's director of women's, cultural, and events, and the ex-wife of the tricolor president, and Douglas Schwartzmann, deputy director of youth football, were named and requested leave from their respective positions. The Civil Police opened an investigation into the case.

Shortly after, on December 22, the Civil Police also began investigating a suspected embezzlement scheme in athlete sales, initiated in 2021, at the start of Casares's administration. In this context, the “Save the Tricolor Paulista” group of councilors filed an impeachment request against the president, based on articles 63, 79, and 112 of the club's Social Statute.

(Photo: Divulgação/SPFC)

On January 6, the investigation by the Civil Police identified suspicious transactions related to Julio Casares, pointed out by reports from Coaf (Financial Activities Control Council).

The president of São Paulo allegedly received R$ 1.5 million in cash deposits into his checking account between January 2023 and May 2025, during his administration of the Tricolor. In an official statement, the president's lawyers claimed there is no irregularity.

On January 15, a day before the impeachment vote, the Public Prosecutor's Office of the State of São Paulo (MP-SP) launched a civil inquiry to investigate possible reckless management at São Paulo, with indications of asset depletion, misuse of purpose, favoritism towards third parties or relatives of directors, and potential irregular use of public resources or tax benefits.

After the approval of the impeachment process by São Paulo's councilors, Casares found himself cornered with very little political support. In this context, he was advised by close peers to resign, which he did five days after the temporary removal.

Ex-president denies irregularities

Unlike Aidar, Casares published his resignation letter on social media. The now ex-president of São Paulo wrote an extensive text, in which he denied irregularities and revealed that his family has been threatened because of the situation.

Casares also emphasized that the resignation is not, in any way, an admission of guilt. The former president of São Paulo, who led the club from 2021 to 2023 (first term) and from 2024 to 2025, also indicated possible institutional betrayals and “behind-the-scenes maneuvers” against him.

“I do not claim, at this moment, authorship, methods, or specific responsibilities, as these issues should be properly investigated by the competent bodies. However, it is impossible to ignore that there were behind-the-scenes maneuvers, deliberate distortions, and a cunning political plot, marked by interests, institutional betrayals, and practices incompatible with the history and values of São Paulo Futebol Clube – facts that time and history will record,” says a passage of the text.

Casares is the 11th to resign

Julio Casares is not the first to resign from the presidency of São Paulo. Before him, 10 other leaders also left the position before the end of their respective terms, being the second to leave the role in the 21st century.

The first resignations of São Paulo presidents occurred in 1935 and 1936, with João Baptista da Cunha Bueno and Manoel do Carmo Mecca. Then, in 1938, Frederico Antônio Germano Menzes left the role, a scenario that repeated in the same year with Cid Mattos Viana. In 1940, it was Piragibe Nogueira's turn to abandon the position, followed by Paulo Machado de Carvalho.

In 1946, two names resigned from the presidency: Décio Pacheco Pedroso and Roberto Gomes Pedrosa. A year later, Paulo Machado de Carvalho left the club's leadership for the second time. Finally, in 2015, Aidar decided to resign, just like Julio Casares, 11 years later.

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