Corinthians face cash-flow squeeze in April, may bring income forward | OneFootball

By Tiago Salazar

Corinthians began the month of April facing financial difficulties. Timão was counting on the sale of defensive midfielder André to Milan to gain some breathing room and bring in at least some new revenue, but president Osmar Stabile blocked the player’s departure. As a result, the club’s cash flow has been affected and it is facing problems covering the monthly costs of the football department.

Corinthians’ 2026 budget includes at least one major sale of one of the black-and-white squad’s assets, as previously revealed by Stabile and football executive Marcelo Paz, and that could have been André’s transfer. The midfielder was in very advanced talks with Milan, from Italy, and would have been sold for 17 million euros (R$ 103 million at the exchange rate at the time).

Stabile, however, believed the figures for André’s sale could be higher and decided to cancel the deal, which meant a significant source of revenue did not make it into the club’s coffers.

Without André’s sale, Corinthians did not secure any new income. Internally, the club also has no forecast for new revenue coming in and expects it will not have enough funds to cover the black-and-white squad’s payroll this month of April, according to Gazeta Esportiva.

(Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians)

Beyond the payroll, Timão is also concerned about the severance payment for coach Dorival Júnior, who was dismissed last Sunday. The penalty for terminating the contract is equivalent to three salaries, plus some amounts related to the FGTS (Length-of-Service Guarantee Fund). In other words, around R$ 6 million.

At this point, therefore, Corinthians does not have the cash flow to cover both the payroll and Dorival Júnior’s severance payment. Even if it reached an agreement with the coach to pay the amount in installments, there are no guarantees that the club would be able to meet that obligation.

Club expected to bring forward revenue

Given the financial uncertainty, Corinthians is expected to bring forward revenue to ensure it can meet its commitments for April. Part of that income may come from the contract renewal signed with Esportes da Sorte, the club’s main sponsor, in February this year.

Under the deal drawn up between the parties, Corinthians’ board secured the receipt of R$ 160 million in 2026, the first year of the contract. The amount will be paid in ten installments, and management of the funds would be in the hands of the club, which could bring forward part of the total.

When the agreement was signed, the club had already brought forward the first three months of the amount set out in the contract. With cash flow under pressure, the tendency is for the black-and-white leadership to request another advance, this time to keep the squad’s salaries up to date and pay Dorival Júnior’s severance fee.

Members of Osmar Stabile’s board are already showing concern about the club’s current financial situation, since the 2025 accounts will be presented for a vote by the Deliberative Council next April 27.

Corinthians’ upcoming matches

Platense-ARG x Corinthians (Libertadores first round) Date and time: 04/09 (Thursday), at 9 p.m. (Brasília time) Venue: Estádio Ciudad de Vicente Lopez, in Buenos Aires (Argentina)

Corinthians x Palmeiras (11th round of the Brasileirão) Date and time: 04/12 (Sunday), at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time) Venue: Neo Química Arena, in São Paulo (SP)

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