Adrift, Olten backs ex-CBF chief for Massis role; opposition hits back | OneFootball

São Paulo unofficially has its first candidate for the end-of-year election that will decide Harry Massis’s successor as president.

As AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR revealed, a dinner held on Tuesday night (4) determined that the political group of Olten Ayres de Abreu, president of the Deliberative Council, along with some supporting factions, officially backed Rogério Caboclo, former president of the CBF.

In an official statement, Olten confirmed he took part in a dinner at Caboclo’s residence and reaffirmed his support for the executive’s pre-candidacy to lead Morumbi.

According to Olten, the decision is the result of an ongoing process of dialogue among members of the Deliberative Council. The official dismissed the idea that the meeting served to seal full tickets, definitive alliances, or the division of corporate positions, calling such versions social media speculation.

Institutional Clarifications and Defense of Debate

The official statement detailed that the participation of Cléo Prado, the club’s women’s football director, took place exclusively under her prerogative as a council member, without representing endorsement from São Paulo’s executive board.

Olten Ayres also condemned personal attacks directed at those who attended the dinner and defended the legitimacy of internal political maneuvering.

‘Save the Tricolor’ Group Disagrees and Points to Another Name

At the same time as Olten’s move, the leadership of the political group Salve o Tricolor Paulista, made up of figures from the so-called “root opposition” to the Massis administration, issued a statement distancing itself from the possible candidacy of Rogério Caboclo:

Disavowal of videos: The group said content linking the opposition wing to Caboclo does not have the backing of its coordinators.

Own candidacy: The wing reiterated its intention to launch lifetime council member Marcelinho Portugal Gouvêa as the ideal name to run for the Tricolor presidency in the 2026 election.

The Case

As AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR revealed in May, the coalition formed by the main political groups opposing Harry Massis at São Paulo met at the time and reached some conclusions.

After feeling betrayed by Vinícius Pinotti because of his move to announce Rogério Caboclo’s name last weekend as a pre-candidate for the end-of-year election—which did not go over well either internally or externally—the group decided to remove the former football director from decision-making.

Once an aspiring presidential candidate himself, Pinotti will now be limited to campaign opinions and financing. The former official reportedly admitted he messed up, since Caboclo himself, the former CBF president, was not interested in running in the December election, according to AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR.

A committee with representatives from all opposition tickets was created. This group will be responsible, so to speak, for communicating the decisions that are made. And its first job has been done: announcing the new contender in the presidential election.

Marcelinho Portugal Gouvêa is the son of the historic president from 2002 to 2006 and the club chief during the Libertadores and Club World Cup three-peat.

A name viewed positively by the fans and with a certain reach among groups of independent council members, especially the cardeais, he has orbited the opposition since 2013, when he broke with Juvenal Juvêncio, his father’s former ally. He usually appears in interviews about the club’s political and financial situation.

The name of Marcelinho, put forward by the so-called “root opposition,” made up of those against the administration since Julio Casares, still depends on approval from some recent allies, including associates of Olten Ayres de Abreu, the suspended president of the Deliberative Council.

Previously, businessman Dáurio Speranzini was considered the main option to lead the bloc. However, the viability of his name lost steam in the face of growing resistance among members and councilors.

Members of the group admit that although Speranzini is considered prepared for the role, the political wear and tear surrounding the revelation of his name’s involvement in Operation Car Wash in 2018, when he was even arrested, made it impossible to build a competitive candidacy. Recurrent criticism of the businessman behind the scenes at the club began to directly influence the electoral college. A decision made early last year by the Federal Supreme Court, however, cleared him for lack of evidence.

Controversies Involving Caboclo

Caboclo’s name was not well received on social media, precisely because of the allegations from when he was president of the CBF. At the time, audio recordings of an inappropriate conversation with her were released by ‘TV Globo’. The official described his remarks as “inappropriate jokes.” He has always denied the accusations and was cleared in court at the beginning of 2024.

The former CBF president is a lifetime council member, but not very active at São Paulo. Records of his family’s involvement with the club go back to the 1960s, and his father, for example, was part of Henri Aidar’s administration at the start of the following decade.

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