CBF replace Rodrigo Cintra with Sandro Meira Ricci as refereeing chief | OneFootball

CBF have dismissed Rodrigo Cintra as head of the refereeing commission and appointed fellow former referee Sandro Meira Ricci. The change was announced by the administration led by Samir Xaud, who has been CBF president for a little over a year.

Cintra had been in post since February 2025, named by then president Ednaldo Rodrigues. He helped drive the professionalisation of Brazilian refereeing, which began in 2026.

Last week he addressed Brazil’s squad at Granja Comary. Ten days ago he briefed Carlo Ancelotti’s group on Fifa’s laws as the national team prepared for the 2026 World Cup.

Ricci, a former Fifa referee, officiated at the 2018 World Cup in Russia before retiring. He spent more than 15 years on the whistle across all levels in Brazil and in competitions including the Libertadores, Club World Cup and Copa América.

From Poços de Caldas, he becomes the fourth head of refereeing since 2020, all with short tenures. He currently works as a referee analyst in MLS.

The reshuffle is part of wider CBF reviews since Ednaldo’s exit, and further departures from the commission are expected. Much of the team that arrived with Cintra will leave, while Péricles Bassols remains VAR technical manager.

Last year Ricci also served on a short-lived international expert committee created by Cintra, alongside Nestor Pitana and Nicola Rizolli, which reviewed incidents from Série A and the Copa do Brasil.

Source: Globo.com