São Paulo opposition urge Casares to quit over ticket scandal | OneFootball

The political crisis in São Paulo continues at full steam this Monday. Deliberative councilors linked to the Movimento Salve o Tricolor Paulista, an opposition group to the current management, released an official statement requesting the precautionary removal of president Julio Casares, as well as other directors, after the revelation of an illegal ticket and suite sales scheme at Morumbi Stadium.

The request comes after the release of audio recordings, revealed by ge, indicating the involvement of Douglas Schwartzmann, deputy director of youth football, and Mara Casares, cultural and events director and ex-wife of the club's president, in a scheme of irregular ticket exploitation during shows held at the stadium, including singer Shakira's concert in February this year. Following the leak of the material, both requested leave from their positions.

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Understand the case

In the recording, Douglas Schwartzmann admits that he, Mara Casares, and others had financial gains from the scheme. According to the disclosed content, Mara received a suite from the club's superintendent, Marcio Carlomagno, and began selling tickets for the event. Carlomagno is identified as one of the main figures of the current management and a close associate of president Julio Casares.

The suite involved in the case is 3A, located in the east sector of Morumbi. According to internal documents from São Paulo, the space is identified as the “presidential room” and is in front of the club president's office, a fact highlighted by the opposition as an element that makes it difficult to dismiss the hypothesis of prior knowledge by the tricolor leadership about the scheme.

Also according to the report, the right to use suite 3A was transferred to Rita de Cassia Adriana Prado, an intermediary mentioned in the recording. She was responsible for exploiting the space and selling tickets, which reportedly generated an estimated revenue of R$ 132,000. However, the agreement ended in a legal dispute. In June, Rita's company filed a lawsuit against Cassemiro Eventos Ltda., alleging the improper removal of an envelope with 60 tickets from the suite on the day of the show. A police report was also filed.

In the audios, Schwartzmann pressures Rita to withdraw the lawsuit and acknowledges that the agreement was made “off the record,” also stating that the scheme was known to Marcio Carlomagno. In one of the excerpts, he says that everyone involved knew the practice was improper.

SEE MORE: Who is Mara Casares, ex-wife of the president and director of São Paulo involved in the ticket scandal

What do the councilors say?

In this scenario, the councilors of the Movimento Salve o Tricolor Paulista state in the note that it is “practically impossible” to dismiss the hypothesis of president Julio Casares's knowledge of the facts. Therefore, they advocate for the immediate precautionary removal of the president, superintendent Marcio Carlomagno, and others involved, including Mara Casares and Douglas Schwartzmann, to ensure a “full, independent, and impartial” investigation.

The group also informed that they will work with the club's internal bodies to ensure that all formal measures are taken, respecting the right to a fair hearing and ample defense.

Photo: Publicity / @juliocasares_sp

São Paulo's statement

In an official note, São Paulo informed that it became aware of the audio content through the press and will conduct a proper investigation of the facts. The club confirmed that Douglas Schwartzmann and Mara Casares requested leave from their positions and stated that it will take necessary measures after analyzing the case.

“São Paulo Futebol Clube informs that it became aware of the audio content through the press and will conduct a proper investigation of the facts. Based on this analysis, the Club will take the necessary measures,” said the club.

Read the full note from the councilors:

São Paulo, December 15, 2025

As deliberative councilors of São Paulo Futebol Clube, we learned with deep consternation of the article published on this date (December 15, 2025) by the Globo Esporte portal, authored by journalist Bruno Guedes.

The data disclosed in the report indicate the involvement of Mrs. Mara Casares, deliberative councilor and female, cultural and events director; and Mr. Douglas Schwartzmann, deliberative councilor and deputy director of youth football; in a manifestly embarrassing scheme of revenue diversion from the sale of tickets and suites at Morumbi Stadium, on the occasion of singer Shakira's concert. The club's current superintendent, Marcio Carlomagno, is also mentioned by Douglas Schwartzmann, who states: “he will be fired because he was the one who granted the suite to (Mara).”

It is worth noting that the mentioned agents hold highly relevant positions in the club's administrative structure. Mrs. Mara Casares is even the wife of the current President of the Board, Mr. Julio Casares. It is undeniable that the involved parties are personally and professionally close to the club's highest authority.

It is also noted that the suite in question from the recorded conversation is located in front of the club's Presidential office, a physical location where President Julio Casares and Mr. Marcio Carlomagno worked daily.

Given this context, it becomes practically impossible to dismiss the hypothesis of the highest authority's knowledge of these reported events, a circumstance that inseparably imposes their precautionary removal, along with their Superintendent, from their respective positions. It is essential that Mrs. Mara Casares and Mr. Douglas Schwartzmann be precautionarily removed from their positions on the Deliberative Council.

The objective of the immediate precautionary removal of those involved is to ensure a full, independent, and impartial investigation of those responsible. The members of the Movimento Salve o Tricolor Paulista will act urgently with the club's official bodies, rigorously observing formal procedures, so that all applicable measures are taken and the facts are investigated with the seriousness, transparency, and rigor that the Institution and its supporters demand, respecting the right to a fair hearing and ample defense, despite the audio containing a confession, in verbis: “So, there was a deal where you made money, I made money, everyone made money. But it was done in trust. Wrong thing? Made a mistake, you have to eat it with flour.”

Sincerely,

Deliberative Councilors of the Movimento Salve o Tricolor Paulista

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