Criticised for helping Olten, opposition cites Statute, bars ‘casarismo’ | OneFootball

Among all the aspects of the vote that prevented the preventive removal of Olten Ayres de Abreu from the presidency of the Deliberative Council, what drew attention was the fact that the official’s narrow victory, 120 votes to 118, was only achieved through the action of São Paulo’s opposition groups, which threw their support behind Julio Casares’ former political ally.

Well, to those who follow the backstage of Tricolor politics more closely, this is nothing new. Since April, when he was “reported” by president Harry Massis himself, Olten has fully defected to the side opposing the current administration. He has even been taking part in meetings to choose the name that will emerge to run in the club’s presidential election at the end of the year.

Backstage matters aside, it was still shocking for a large part of the fanbase to see familiar names and faces from the beginning of the year, in the process that culminated in Casares’ resignation, supposedly voting in favor of one of the main pillars of the former president’s entire administration. More than that, Olten is accused of several irregularities, such as employing a ghost employee at the club and causing losses through traffic fines and repairs to cars provided for use by an automaker. In addition, the Civil Police are investigating him for alleged ideological falsehood linked to an opinion issued by the club’s Advisory Council, broadening the scope of the investigations involving the official.

Among other points, it is worth noting that Olten was only reelected president of the Council in 2023 through Casares’ own efforts. It was even one of the reasons for the rupture with former football director Carlos Belmonte, whose political group wanted to nominate another name for the post.

But since São Paulo politics are extremely dynamic and the current scenario is one of extreme turbulence, there was no way for the opposition to come out of the vote unscathed. And so, some of its main figures had to turn to social media to justify the supposed pro-Olten vote, arguing that his removal violates the bylaws and that it is also a maneuver by Casares’ allies to prevent his expulsion from the club.

“Today’s vote prevented São Paulo from being handed over to the political allies of the former president (Julio Casares), whose expulsion is only a matter of time. What some interpret as an individual rescue actually represents the protection of a greater good: our São Paulo Futebol Clube. The process will continue. We will remove, one by one, those who turned the club into a way of life,” wrote Caio Forjaz.

Replying to a fan outraged by his vote, the council member expanded on his justification. “I respect and understand the outrage. He was not acquitted. There is still an ongoing process, and he will be judged at the end of it. There was a clear intention of illegal removal. The fact that he has ‘been wrong’ on many occasions does not legitimize the opinion. He will have no more room at São Paulo. We have to be smart and eliminate them one by one. In the line for elimination, there are some the fans don’t know. We removed Casares and expelled Douglas, Mara and Márcio. We will eliminate them one by one,” he said.

In a message sent to cellphone messaging groups during the early hours of the morning, Flávio Marques, considered by many one of the Deliberative Council’s most upright names, highlighted legal aspects behind his decision.

“Friends. I read the more than 200 pages of the disciplinary proceeding, took notes and reached my conclusions, as I do every time I vote. I watched the presentations by the lawyers for both sides. ‘The process violates, in my interpretation, article 145, paragraph 3, which sets a 30-day deadline for the legislative committee to issue an opinion on proposals to amend the bylaws, and article 36, sole paragraph, of São Paulo’s bylaws, which requires the favorable vote of two-thirds of the council members entitled to vote for the preventive removal of any São Paulo member. I voted conscientiously against the opinion/recommendation of the ethics committee. I voted, with conviction, for legality,’” he wrote.

“I respect those who think differently, but my vote was technical. Strictly technical. If Mr. Olten left fines outstanding and maintenance costs charged to São Paulo, then he should immediately reimburse the club. He and all officials who may eventually be in the same situation. Let all officials who committed irregularities be punished for what they did. But let the proceedings follow the logic of the articles in our bylaws,” he added.

Among the opposition voices, one of the most pressured by outraged fans was Fábio Machado, after all the council member was almost expelled from the club in the Casares era and, with Olten’s help, was even criminally prosecuted by the former administration.

In a post on his social media, Machado was perhaps the one who laid out the club’s current political scenario in the clearest possible way and how Olten’s removal could lead to even more damaging situations for the club.

“Probably no one on the Deliberative Council loathes Olten Ayres de Abreu more than I do. Throughout his entire term, Olten did everything he could to persecute the opposition and defend his then-ally Julio Casares. They were partners in the attempts to force through bylaw changes, in approving budgets and accounts that made no sense, in bad contracts for the club, and in so many other measures harmful to São Paulo. They were even partners in the ordinary courts. They even criminally prosecuted me and Kristian Orberg (a club member) for calling them both plotters. They remained allies until the moments leading up to JC’s (Casares’) removal by the Council,” he wrote.

“The fact is that today São Paulo is at war between two factions: Mara’s (Casares), Dedé’s and Douglas’ (Schwartzmann) group, united with the current board, against Olten Ayres. Is there a good side? Is there any side in this dispute that puts São Paulo first? The answer seems obvious to me. That said, many made the political calculation that removing Olten would hand all the club’s political power to the same group of abject people who run it today. In short: terrible with Olten, but still with a system of checks and balances within the dispute currently taking place at the club,” he added.

“I’m not saying I agree with that position or that I voted that way, but I’m sure many who voted that way — and I include friends of mine, who are being bombarded over this — did so thinking about what they believe is best for the club in the long run, swallowing the huge bitter pill of helping Olten. São Paulo politics are far too complex, and moves are not always as simple as they seem. Just as our side expelled Mara, Douglas and Márcio Carlomagno, in addition to removing Júlio Casares, we will keep working for the expulsion of Dedé, of JC (Casares) himself, and of others responsible for bringing the club to this situation,” he concluded.

THE CONTROVERSIAL VOTE

São Paulo’s Deliberative Council rejected, by 120 votes to 118, the extension for another four months of Olten Ayres de Abreu Júnior’s preventive removal from the presidency of the body.

The razor-thin margin did not prevent the decision from having a negative impact on social media, where fans reacted with heavy criticism of Olten, the Council, and the opposition, whose members were decisive in blocking the measure.

With the result, the official returns to office after nearly three weeks away.

Olten had voluntarily stepped aside on May 14, after an agreement with the Council’s vice president, João Farias Júnior, and the president of the ethics committee, Antônio Maria Patiño Zorz, to guarantee time for him to present his defense.

After analyzing the case, the committee recommended preventive removal until the end of the investigation, but the proposal has now been struck down by the council members.

The vote, however, does not mean acquittal. The reckless management case is still ongoing in the ethics committee, which may recommend Olten’s expulsion from São Paulo’s membership rolls, the harshest internal punishment provided for.

The Council is also expected to examine a definitive suspension in the future, though no date has yet been set.

The complaint against Olten was filed in April by club president Harry Massis Júnior, based on an accusation of reckless management during the processing of a proposed bylaw reform.

The project, originally presented by former president Júlio Casares in December, provided for reducing the qualified quorum for structural decisions, such as turning the club into a SAF. The legislative committee issued an opinion against it in April, but before that, Olten had set up a new committee to deal with broader changes to the bylaws.

For Massis, the move represented a breach of the bylaws by reopening an issue that had already been rejected. The crisis accumulated new chapters throughout the process. In the middle of it, Olten even removed the members of the ethics committee conducting the investigation, but the decision was annulled by Farias, and the members returned to their posts.

On May 7, the Civil Police opened an investigation into alleged ideological falsehood linked to an opinion issued by the club’s Advisory Council, broadening the scope of the investigations involving the official.

It is still unclear what Olten’s next steps will be, but it is possible that his return will lead the legislative committee to resume work on the bylaw reform, which has been frozen by Massis since early May. It is also not known whether he will resume the removal of the ethics committee.

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