Rubens Lopes re-elected Ferj president with backing of Rio’s big clubs | OneFootball

Rubens Lopes has been re-elected president of Ferj for a further four years, returned unopposed with all 91 votes. He will serve the 2027 to 2031 term.

According to Globo.com, he stood on the 'Pelo futuro futebol do Rio' slate.

In office since 2007, the doctor and former Bangu president succeeded Eduardo Viana, known as Caixa D'Água, who served 22 years before his death in 2006. This victory could see Lopes surpass his predecessor's tenure.

The electoral college had 120 institutions, 119 declared support in advance and one expressed it verbally before voting in favour. Representatives from Botafogo, Fluminense, Flamengo and Vasco attended, including João Paulo Magalhães, Mattheus Montenegro, Marcelo Penha, Carlos Eduardo Peixoto and Bianca Morais Reis.

Ferj hired election specialists Eleja to deliver electronic and remote voting, a firm with experience at CBF, Botafogo, Flamengo, Vasco, Atlético Mineiro, Athletico Paranaense, Corinthians, Cruzeiro and Internacional.

After the vote, Lopes said the congested calendar is a serious problem, criticised Fifa's protected dates and joked that staging the championship on Mars, with 700 days, would fit everything in. He guaranteed Ferj would find some solution.

Looking ahead, he said next year is symbolic and worrying, with one club chasing an unprecedented fourth straight title and the rest aiming to stop it, which he felt is a motivation.

Source: Globo.com