Leila Pereira sues Palmeiras councillor over offensive, sexist remarks | OneFootball

Palmeiras president Leila Pereira has filed a lawsuit seeking compensation for moral damages against council member José Corona Neto, claiming she was the target of personal attacks and sexist remarks during a meeting of the club’s Deliberative Council, NOSSO PALESTRA has learned.

In the lawsuit, filed with the 41st Civil Court of the Central Forum of São Paulo, Leila is seeking R$50,000 in moral damages as well as a public apology from the council member.

The president argues that Corona went beyond the limits of political and administrative criticism by calling her “wasteful,” “incompetent,” saying that “those who don’t understand football should stay home,” and describing her administration as “losing.” In Leila’s view, the statements went beyond the realm of internal club disagreement and became a personal attack, with an offensive and discriminatory nature.

Palmeiras president’s counterattack

The move comes ahead of the conciliation hearing in the case Corona himself filed against Leila. The council member was the first to go to court, in a lawsuit seeking R$20,000 in moral damages, in which he claims he was called “a failure,” “a coward,” and “unbalanced” by the executive during the same meeting. The case is proceeding under no. 4004882-93.2026.8.26.0011, in the 1st Court of the Special Civil Claims Court of the Central/Vergueiro JEC, under Judge Fernando Salles Amaral.

In the case brought by Corona, Leila has already voluntarily appeared in the proceedings and stated that she has no interest in holding a conciliation hearing. Alternatively, she requested that, if the hearing were maintained, it be held virtually, given the hostility between the parties and in order to preserve her privacy. The court scheduled the virtual hearing for May 18, 2026, at 4:30 p.m.

The difference between the paths chosen by the parties also draws attention. Corona took his complaint to the Special Civil Claims Court, a venue intended for less complex cases, with simplified proceedings, more concentrated procedural acts and, as a rule, no order to pay legal fees in the first instance. Leila, in turn, chose the ordinary courts, a procedural setting that allows for broader evidentiary development and a wider discussion about the context of the meeting, the public impact of the statements, the effect on the president’s image, and the alleged gender bias.

In the filing, Leila says Corona’s statements were not limited to the internal environment of the Deliberative Council. According to the president, the episode gained traction in the press, on social media, and on digital channels, increasing the damage to her honor, image, and professional reputation.

The request for a retraction was framed as an obligation to act. Leila’s defense argues that financial compensation alone would not be enough to neutralize the effects of the statements, since the remarks reached a significant audience outside the club. Therefore, it asks that Corona be ordered to publish a public apology on his communication channels, with reach proportional to that of the statements considered offensive, under penalty of a fine.

The lawsuit also argues that the phrase “those who don’t understand football should stay home” should not be analyzed as a mere sporting opinion. For Leila, the statement reinforces the idea that women do not belong in charge of sports institutions, in a historically male-dominated environment. The filing highlights that she is the first woman to preside over Palmeiras in more than a century of history.

Recalling the argument at the council meeting

In December 2025, José Corona Neto made harsh criticism of the Palmeiras president’s work during the season, such as the high amount invested in signings to build the squad and the possibility raised of changing the bylaws to allow for a third presidential term.

In addition, the council member said that Leila Pereira inherited a championship-winning squad assembled by former director Alexandre Mattos and former president Maurício Galiotte.

After José Corona’s speech, the president was given the right to reply and said she would not accept being disrespected and that she would seek legal means to take action against the council member in court.

The meeting featured a heated argument between the Palmeiras president and José Corona Neto, who had to be restrained by security guards and was removed from the event.

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