Clear path! Leila Pereira on Vasco SAF's radar for 2028

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Papo na Colina

·25 de março de 2026

Clear path! Leila Pereira on Vasco SAF's radar for 2028

Advanced negotiations for the sale of Vasco's Sociedade Anônima do Futebol (SAF) sparked intense debate in the national sports media throughout this week. Commentator Paulo Vinícius Coelho, widely known as PVC, analyzed the complex administrative scenario during a live broadcast on the UOL Esporte channel this past Tuesday (24). The central point of the discussion involves the future of executive Leila Pereira, the current president of Palmeiras, and her possible direct connection with the Rio club starting in 2028.

Vasco president Pedrinho recently admitted that the institution took a crucial step toward selling definitive control of its football department. This major movement drew the attention of sports journalists because of the family ties of the main investor interested in the deal.

Vídeos OneFootball

Businessman Marcos Lamacchia is the son of José Roberto Lamacchia, owner of the financial institution Crefisa, and the stepson of the Palmeiras president. The commentator pointed out that the end of the executive’s cycle in São Paulo could make a future move to Rio de Janeiro easier.

+ Toward Vasco SAF: Marcos Lamacchia seeks agency to assess club purchase

Marcos Lamacchia is close to buying Vasco SAF – Photo: Reproduction

The end of her term at Palmeiras and the future at Vasco SAF

During the recent draw for the group stage of the Copa Libertadores da América, the executive publicly admitted that she is going through her second-to-last year in charge of the São Paulo club. The possibility of trying to push through a political project for a third consecutive term was even considered by close advisers, but the idea did not gain the necessary traction internally. This scenario leaves the executive completely free on the market at the end of the 2027 season, creating an unprecedented opening for major negotiations in Brazilian football.

Vasco is monitoring movements in the financial market to ensure the stability of its long-term sporting project, seeking partners with a high investment capacity. PVC detailed the various possibilities that may open up for the successful executive’s future:

“She is admitting, while talking about her second-to-last year in office, that after 2028 she’ll be free to do whatever she wants, whether that’s joining Marcos Lamacchia at Vasco’s SAF, not joining him, or trying to run for another position in football, or not running at all.”

Analysis of conflict of interest at the CBF

At the current stage, the businessman’s purchase of the SAF does not present direct legal obstacles in relation to the strict governance rules of national sport. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) is monitoring the situation closely, but the specific family arrangement prevents any immediate blocking of the multimillion-dollar deal. Marcos currently holds no executive position at Palmeiras or at Crefisa itself, and the lack of direct blood relation with the president makes any formal accusation of conflict of interest in Brazilian football difficult.

The journalist assessed the legal limits of the case and issued a strong warning to the São Paulo club regarding the coming years of management:

“Starting in 2028 there is no conflict of interest at all, and right now there isn’t either, although family relationships can be discussed at the CBF. Leila Pereira, president of Palmeiras, is not a direct relative of Marcos Lamacchia, who is her husband’s son, and he holds no executive position at Palmeiras, so it is difficult to prove a conflict-of-interest relationship, which the CBF will study to determine whether it exists or not. From 2028 onward, Palmeiras will have to make sure Leila does not take anything from Palmeiras into a future possible hypothetical relationship with another club.”

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