Tense night as Corinthians council blocks reform, backs Fiel vote | OneFootball

Corinthians’ Deliberative Council (CD) rejected, this Wednesday (29), the main text of the club’s proposed bylaw reform by 93 votes against and 60 in favor, in a meeting held at Parque São Jorge. Despite the decision, the body approved among the highlighted items the granting of voting rights to members of the Fiel Torcedor program starting in 2026.

The session again discussed changes considered fundamental for the club’s future, including the possibility of voting rights for Fiel Torcedor members, adapting the club for a possible transformation into a SAF, structural governance changes, and new rules for the club’s electoral system.

The meeting was chaired by the acting president of the body, Leonardo Pantaleão. Also at the table were the president of the Advisory Council (Cori), Miguel Marques e Silva, the president of the Bylaw Reform Committee, Dalton Gioia, and the CD’s first secretary, Maria Ângela Ocampos.

Photo: Henrique Vigliotti/Central do Timão

Even before the official opening of the proceedings, council member Felipe Ezabella took the floor to explain the reasons for the injunction obtained in court, which suspended the General Assembly of members scheduled by Romeu Tuma Júnior — on leave from the position due to the court decision — for the vote on the bylaw reform.

Ezabella stated that there were illegalities in the reform process conducted by Tuma. After the statement, the council member took the floor to declare that he disagreed with the accusations and that he would not speak at that moment so as not to disrupt the session, while informing that he would later respond in writing against Ezabella’s statements.

Next, Leonardo Pantaleão officially opened the proceedings and informed those present that the vote would be nominal, with the first matter under analysis being the main text of the reform proposal. According to him, if the main text were rejected, the meeting would be adjourned without discussion of the other points.

Three-year council member Rozallah Santoro took the floor and said that all the content debated in the public hearings had the character of consultative “brainstorming,” not deliberative. He also stated that it was a completely new text and suggested that important issues, such as voting rights for Fiel Torcedor members, be highlighted for possible inclusion in the current bylaws if the main text were rejected, also proposing an extraordinary article-by-article vote. The statement was widely applauded by the plenary.

Then, council member Herói Vicente said he fully agreed with Rozallah and stated that the most important point at that moment was the club’s political reform. According to him, the model would remain the same if it continued to be conducted in the current way.

Herói also mentioned his proposal for amendment regarding the participation of Fiel Torcedor members, which was not accepted by the Reform Committee. Pantaleão replied that he would not reopen discussion of proposals, but recorded the statement and said he respected Herói’s position.

Romeu Tuma Júnior took the floor to contest Herói’s statement about the supposed lack of debate around the reform. According to him, the council member’s proposal had been discussed at the public hearing on Fiel Torcedor, when the reasons for its rejection were also explained.

The CD’s president on leave also raised a procedural point so that any measure preventing the holding of Wednesday’s meeting and vote would be rejected. In addition, he argued that, regardless of the Council’s decision, the General Assembly of members should be convened.

Regarding the suggestion presented by Rozallah in relation to the main text, Tuma said the proposal should proceed to the General Assembly regardless of the Council’s decision, and he was booed by part of the plenary. Before the vote on the main text began, Tuma and Ezabella clashed again.

The lifetime council members were the first to vote and, for the most part, rejected the proposal. Rubens Gomes, known as Rubão, took the floor to justify his vote against the main text. Only five lifetime members approved the proposal: Antônio Roque Citadini, Dalton Gioia, José Augusto Cardoso Mendes, Miriam Athiê, and Romeu Tuma Júnior.

Next, the three-year council members voted. At the end of the count, the main text was rejected by 93 votes against and 60 in favor. There was a strong reaction from Corinthians organized supporters after the result was announced. “The lifetime members will not seize the club,” “The fans will take over the club,” and “They are against the club’s democratization” were among the chants heard at the venue.

Photo: Henrique Vigliotti/Central do Timão

Pantaleão then said that the bylaw reform would proceed to the General Assembly. Initially, even with the rejection of the main text by the CD, the highlighted items would be voted on separately in the plenary. After objections from council members, he decided to open a new vote to determine whether the highlighted items would in fact be analyzed.

At that moment, there was turmoil and heated arguments in the plenary. Lifetime council member Alexandre Husni moved toward three-year council member Peterson Ruan Aiello do Couto Ramos, but was restrained by security guards.

Many council members left Parque São Jorge before the final result of the new vote, which decided, by 79 votes to 57, that the highlighted topics in the bylaw reform proposal would be considered separately by the body. The vote began immediately afterward, with 15 topics on the agenda – see the highlighted-item ballot model below.

In the first highlighted item, regarding Business Corporations, the option that maintained the current rule received 83 votes, against eight for the alternative proposal, in addition to two abstentions.

The vote then moved to one of the most debated and anticipated topics: voting rights for the football member (Fiel Torcedor). At this moment, Pantaleão informed those present that the topics would proceed to the General Assembly with the full text and the alternatives presented, regardless of the CD’s decision.

The options submitted to the plenary were as follows:

Option 1 – Football members would gain voting rights starting in 2030, with the requirement of four years of contributions to the Fiel Torcedor program and payment of a special fee corresponding to one quarter of the patrimonial contribution. Option 2 – Football members would gain voting rights starting in 2026. For this election, the last four years of registration in the Fiel Torcedor program would be considered, without requiring the special fee. In subsequent elections, all requirements would apply, including the fee. Option 3 – Maintenance of the current rule, with no voting rights for Football Members. Option 4 – Abstention.

At the end of the vote, nine votes were recorded for the first proposal, 79 votes for the second, and two votes for the third. With this, the Council approved the possibility of voting rights for Fiel Torcedor members as early as 2026. The result was applauded by the representatives of the organized supporter groups present.

The meeting was suspended before the vote on the third item began and will continue next Monday (4), when the remaining highlighted items will be considered.

Before the closing, Rozallah Santoro argued with Romeu Tuma Júnior and maintained that only the points approved by the Council should proceed to the General Assembly. Tuma, in turn, argued that the proposal should be forwarded in full. Pantaleão said he intends to deliberate on the matter with the Reform Committee, but indicated that, in his personal understanding, the points considered by the CD should be submitted to the members, who are responsible for the final decision.

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