Corinthians' bids revealed in youth tussle with Palmeiras

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Central do Timão

·20 de janeiro de 2026

Corinthians' bids revealed in youth tussle with Palmeiras

By Henrique Pereira / Central do Timão Editorial Team

After conflicting versions presented by Corinthians and Palmeiras regarding attempts to reach an agreement involving a poaching case in the youth categories, documents obtained by ge.globo clarify the values discussed, the formalized proposals, and the sequence of events that led to the exclusion of the Parque São Jorge club from the Movement of Training Clubs (MCF).

The conflict began in January 2025, when Palmeiras accused Corinthians of poaching a 14-year-old athlete from its youth academy, whose identity is protected. The black-and-white club admits to mishandling the episode but disputes the narrative that there was no willingness to resolve the impasse.

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The analyzed documents show that, starting in April 2025, the rival presented three formal proposals to Corinthians to resolve the issue. The last one was sent in October, without a response within the expected timeframe, leading the green-and-white club to officially revoke it on November 10, ending the negotiations.

Publicly, Corinthians had stated that it presented alternatives such as returning the athlete or paying a fine of R$ 3 million. However, these possibilities are not included in the formal documents exchanged between the parties.

The current executive of Corinthians' youth categories, Erasmo Damiani, took office only on October 20, after the initial proposals from Palmeiras were sent. Even so, he received the third and final offer on the 22nd of the same month, through a WhatsApp conversation with João Paulo Sampaio, the rival's youth coordinator.

Since joining the club, Damiani claims to have sought to reopen dialogue, even contacting the São Paulo Football Federation (FPF) to mediate an agreement. However, the executive criticizes the rival's stance and its representative in the process.

“Is revenge worth more than principles? If someone does something wrong, do you go and do the same? We work with training, we have to set an example. If someone does something wrong, we have to do the right thing to denounce what is wrong. Saying 'took and will continue taking'? What principles are these? We're talking about a director of the Movement of Training Clubs. How does the Movement accept a statement like that?”, declared Damiani.

After these statements were published, João Paulo Sampaio responded to ge.globo, countering the criticisms: “It's not revenge or intransigence. Palmeiras has been trying to resolve this issue for a year. We made three different proposals and nothing… Against facts, there are no arguments”, stated the rival's executive.

Subsequently, Damiani spoke again and detailed his attempt to resume conversations: “A week before officially taking office, I tried to understand the situation, even talking to João. I was willing to resolve it amicably, even sending an official proposal to Palmeiras. I understand that dialogue is the best way. It was Palmeiras who ended the talks. Remembering that since my arrival and the letter sent with our proposal, it took 15 days.”

“Palmeiras refers to a year of trying. As far as I know, the athlete arrived in January 2025 and the club closed the case in November, even with our willingness to resolve it in a way that was good for everyone involved, especially the athlete. We remain available to resolve the situation as soon as Palmeiras is willing to reopen negotiations.”, he continued.

Besides the sporting merit, the impasse gained new chapters behind the scenes. Palmeiras reports communication difficulties and points out errors in documents sent by Corinthians, including the club's name written incorrectly — “Sociedade Esportiva Palmieras.” Corinthians, in turn, claims that Palmeiras also made a similar mistake by writing “Pameiras” in a revocation document.

The black-and-white club also claims that the rival is benefiting from Corinthians' exclusion from the MCF to gain sporting and financial advantage, as at least three of its youth players were signed by Palmeiras after the punishment. There are also complaints about the absence of green-and-white representatives at a meeting scheduled at the FPF headquarters, while the rival argues that, given the frustrated negotiations, there was no point in attending.

Chronology of Proposals

April 2025Palmeiras sends its first proposal to Alex Brasil, then executive of Corinthians' youth academy: transfer of 50% of the athlete's economic rights to Palmeiras in the first professional contract and immediate payment of R$ 2 million.

August 25, 2025Corinthians undergoes administrative change, with the election of Osmar Stabile as the new president.

September 25, 2025In a meeting mediated by FPF Vice President Mauro Silva, Palmeiras presents a second proposal: maintaining 50% of the rights and reducing the compensation to R$ 1 million.

October 9, 2025Corinthians sends an email to the FPF suggesting a change in the payment format of the R$ 1 million compensation, proposing to pay it only when the athlete completes a 90-minute official match for the professional team. The document is signed by President Osmar Stabile, Legal Director Pedro Luis Soares, and the President of the Football Commission, Francisco Papaiordanou. Attached, the club includes a statement from the player's parents and makes the athlete available for direct conversation.

Palmeiras classifies the proposal as “indecent” and points out the absence of mention of the transfer of economic rights.

October 10, 2025Palmeiras responds with a counterproposal: transfer of 70% of the rights to the club, with the possibility for Corinthians to repurchase 20% for R$ 1 million until the athlete turns 18.

October 20, 2025Erasmo Damiani assumes the coordination of Corinthians' youth academy.

October 22, 2025Damiani talks to João Paulo Sampaio via WhatsApp and receives the counterproposal again.

November 6, 2025The FPF confirms a meeting between the clubs, but Palmeiras does not attend, claiming to await a formal response to the third proposal.

November 10, 2025At 7:26 PM, Palmeiras sends an email to the FPF officially revoking the proposal due to lack of response from Corinthians. The club explains that the document was dated November 11 as it was sent after the Federation's business hours.

November 11, 2025At 10:02 AM, the FPF acknowledges receipt of the email. Thirty minutes later, Corinthians sends a new proposal, still unaware of the revocation, which would only be communicated by the Federation on the 14th.

The Corinthians proposal provided for the transfer of 40% of the rights to Palmeiras, payment of R$ 500,000 in ten installments after the first professional contract, and an option to buy an additional 10% for R$ 1 million, also in installments.

Without an agreement, Corinthians remains excluded from the Movement of Training Clubs. The punishment prevents the club from participating in unofficial youth tournaments, restricting its participation to competitions organized by the FPF and CBF.

The impact is more significant in the under-13 and under-15 categories, which now have a reduced calendar. In 2024, Corinthians won the under-15 Copa Votorantim, but in the following edition, 13 clubs withdrew from the competition demanding the exclusion of Timão.

With the penalty, rules previously agreed upon among MCF members no longer apply, allowing other clubs to freely negotiate Corinthians' youth players — a scenario that, according to Corinthians itself, has already resulted in players moving to Palmeiras.

The Movement of Training Clubs recognizes the rival's complaint as valid, claims to have followed the regulations in applying the punishment, and says it awaits an understanding between the clubs to close the case.

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