If the boss has his way… Massis to vote for Casares, Schwartzmann exit | OneFootball

São Paulo president Harry Massis did not stay silent and came out in favor of the expulsion of Mara Casares and Douglas Schwartzmann, following a recommendation made by the Ethics Committee this Monday (30).

The recommendation calls for both to be removed from their director positions after they were caught in leaked audio negotiating the sale of an institutional luxury box at Morumbi for a concert by Colombian singer Shakira in March of last year.

In a statement issued to the press later in the afternoon, Massis was direct and backed the decision assessed by the São Paulo committee.

“My vote will be in favor of expulsion. If the Ethics Committee recommended this decision, I have full confidence in the body’s investigation and I believe it is what is best for the institution. Every day, we are working to change the future of São Paulo Futebol Clube, and this is another important measure,” the Tricolor president said.

“In my administration, honesty and integrity are non-negotiable values, and I will fight at any cost to make the club more transparent and more respectful toward our supporters,” the president added.

The president of Tricolor’s Deliberative Council, Olten Ayres de Abreu, now has up to five days to request that the body hold a meeting to vote on the recommendation. The initial expectation was that the Ethics Committee would issue its opinion last Thursday (26), but more time was requested, under the pretext of the need for a more thorough assessment of the case “because of its complexity.”

As AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR revealed, the trend was indeed for the pair to receive the maximum punishment. Pressured by fans and club members, who even held a “pizza protest” inside the club as a form of demonstration (click here to revisit it), even members of the body close to Douglas and Mara had been signaling a vote in favor of expulsion.

THE ACCUSED

Mara is no longer part of São Paulo’s political scene. In addition to leaving her position as events director, she also gave up her seat on the Deliberative Council. Schwartzmann, former youth academy director, left his administrative role but remained a council member.

The ex-wife of former president Julio Casares has been the one facing the most problems with the police investigations. At the end of last month, a notebook seized at the home of Rita de Cássia Adriana Prado, one of the main figures in the scandal, gave the authorities new leads.

Although the contents are under seal, investigators say the notes help detail how the scheme operated and indicate that at least one São Paulo luxury box was being systematically diverted.

The operation was led by the 3rd Police Precinct for Investigations into Criminal Chop Shops (Dicca) and also targeted Schwartzmann, former deputy director of the youth divisions, and Mara Casares, ex-wife of former president Júlio Casares and then women’s, cultural, and events director.

The seized notebook reportedly contains further elements about the machinery that sustained the scheme, which may have lasted longer than initially thought. “The documents collected make it possible to see the seriousness of the facts and the scope of the facts, including the time span, much longer than imagined,” prosecutor José Reinaldo Carneiro Guimarães said, stressing that the investigation is still not concluded.

At Mara’s residence, police also seized R$ 28,000 in cash and a computer, in addition to documents considered important for the progress of the inquiry. In a statement, São Paulo said that “it is a victim in this case and will cooperate with the authorities in the investigation.”

At the same time, the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo found that the dealings involving Adriana and Mara at the club had been taking place since at least 2023. Currently on leave from the board, Mara allegedly acted in partnership with Adriana in brokering the sale of spaces and tickets for games and concerts at Morumbi, as well as other São Paulo events.

Mara’s defense says she is fully cooperating with the authorities and that the propriety of her actions will be proven. The timeline outlined by police and prosecutors indicates that the pair’s joint activity was not limited to luxury box 3A at singer Shakira’s concert, mentioned in the audio released in December.

Sources heard by the newspaper report Adriana’s presence as an intermediary as early as 2022. Adriana herself has message exchanges and emails with club directors and allegedly sought out Casares’s opponents to negotiate the material.

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