Corinthians swap logistics provider without contract or compliance review | OneFootball

In mid-April 2024, Corinthians, then presided over by Augusto Melo, decided to change the company responsible for logistics services in the football department upon the suggestion and recommendation of executive Fabinho Soldado. The team ended its partnership with Palace and hired Off Side, which operates to this day without a signed contract and compliance review, as the club admitted in a statement sent to Gazeta Esportiva.

Advisor's Warning

The suspicion regarding the agreement with Off Side arose from a request sent by advisor Gilson Teixeira to the president of Corinthians' Deliberative Council, Romeu Tuma Júnior, which the report accessed. In the document, Teixeira questioned the “legality, regularity, and cost-effectiveness” of the services provided by the company, indicating possible “overpricing, absence of a bidding process, and conflict of interest”.

From there, an internal investigation began at Parque São Jorge to understand the partnership. The conclusion of the investigations revealed a series of irregularities in the contracting process of Off Side.

Understanding the Irregularities

As determined by Corinthians' statute, the club needs to gather at least three budgets before closing a contract of this magnitude. However, this obligation was not fulfilled by the management at the time. The terms and references of the contract also did not go through the club's compliance system, implemented in the second half of 2021.

Additionally, Gazeta Esportiva found that the draft contract with Off Side, although drafted, was not signed by Corinthians. The company, therefore, has been operating for over a year without any formal bond.

(Photo: Peter Leone/O Fotografico/Gazeta Press)

Corinthians Admits Mistakes

The irregularities were admitted by the current management of the team, presided over by Osmar Stabile. Corinthians, in a statement, confirmed that there was no contract signed with Off Side during Augusto Melo's management, in addition to confirming the absence of compliance review and the three budgets.

“After an internal investigation conducted by the Legal Department, it was found that there is no signed contract with the company for the provision of services. The last email exchange between Off Side and Corinthians' legal department was in January 2025. The current administration found no evidence of competition for the company's selection, which did not go through the club's compliance. Now, within the process of regularizing the partnership, it will go through the correct internal procedures,” Corinthians sent to the report.

The current management also promises to regularize the partnership. “The board understands that there is a need to formalize the agreement for the correct progress of the partnership and will follow the internal procedures to formalize the matter.”

And the Payment?

In the absence of a signed contract, Corinthians informed the report that Off Side has been issuing invoices according to the services provided, game by game. According to the club, the company provides logistical support only for matches outside the State of São Paulo.

Economy and Comfort

The current management of Corinthians claims to have gathered financial data to decide on the continuity of Off Side. According to information obtained by the report, the team spent about R$ 13.4 million on logistics services throughout 2024. In the current season, the expectation is that the expense will have a similar value.

Furthermore, the decision for Off Side was driven by the desire to offer more comfort to the athletes. The football board had a conversation with players to receive feedback on the services previously provided and opted for the change.

When questioned by the report, the football executive Fabinho Soldado defended the decision of which he was the main enthusiast.

“In the understanding of the football executive, Fabinho Soldado, Corinthians today has the best service provided within the executed values, demonstrably with lower costs when comparing the packages offered by companies. Corinthians has advanced significantly in its logistics, demonstrably perceptible in the day-to-day and in the feedback from athletes,” he stated in a note.

Fabinho Soldado was the one who accompanied Augusto Melo in the meeting that determined the hiring of Off Side, but the understanding of the current leadership is that the executive does not have competence or responsibility for the bureaucratic process of the hiring, which was under the care of Vinicius Cascone, then legal director.

Silence of the Former Management

Gazeta Esportiva contacted Augusto Melo and Vinicius Cascone, president and legal director of Corinthians at the time of Off Side's hiring. Both, however, preferred not to comment on the topics covered by the article. Should any of them speak out, the text will be updated.

What Off Side Says

The report also contacted Off Side to question the reasons for not signing a contract with Corinthians. The company sent a note through its CEO, Rodrigo Ernesto, but chose to omit details of the partnership. See the full statement below:

“Off Side is a company specialized in sports logistics that has been operating in the market since 2000. Over these 25 years, it has established itself as a reference in the segment with technical deliveries aimed at the best logistical strategy for its clients. Only in this year of 2025, Off Side has already served 25 of the main clubs in Brazil, between Series A and B of the Brasileirão, in addition to having provided services to 22 South American clubs that were competing in the main continental competitions, such as the Libertadores and South American Cups. This history demonstrates the trust and credibility built with the main football associations in America.

Out of ethics and respect for confidentiality with its partners, Off Side does not comment or disclose contract details, being this a prerogative in the relationship with the institutions themselves, which have the total freedom to explain such information, if they deem it pertinent, either internally or publicly.

In general, our processes follow a professional standard that has guided our conduct for more than two decades. The logistical needs of each client are evaluated on a case-by-case basis: first in a macro way, with anticipation of scenarios and strategy definition — always validated with the sports institution — and then focusing on the execution itself.This work also involves relationship and operational alignment with public agencies, stadiums, other teams, as well as airports in different cities. From this diagnosis, we present transparent budgets compatible with the reality of each sports entity.

We are proud of the history we have built and the credibility we have achieved through great partnerships over these past decades. We continue to work to evolve and professionalize sports logistics in Brazil and South America.”

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