August 26 – Brazilian giants Corinthians have announced that Osmar Stabile has been elected as the club’s new President on a mandate until the end of 2026.
He initially took the leadership role on a temporary basis in May this year following the removal of Augusto Melo via impeachment proceedings, but now takes charge with the approval of voters.
Stabile received 199 of the 264 votes on offer to defeat opponents Roque Citadini, who got 50 votes, and André Castro, who received 14. Following his victory, Stabile acknowledged that his club faced a mountain of problems.
“We’ve already identified several issues,” explained Stabile. “There are many priorities, but when you manage, you tackle the biggest challenge first. That’s what we’re working on. The biggest challenge today is finances. We’re organising. We’re absolutely certain that we’ll improve the situation soon. Ideally, we’d be ahead of the curve, setting goals and targets. That’s the biggest challenge.”
Corinthians are currently banned from trading players due to a ‘multi-million’ payment owed to Mexico’s Santos Laguna following the transfer of Felix Torres. The club also owe player Memphis Depay €1million and have until September 15th to deposit the bonus payments.
“We initially discussed the amount we have to settle with him, and we asked them to establish a payment term, with a payment plan,” said Stabile. “We’re in talks. We’re talking in advance so we can pay. The amount we’ve set is high. We didn’t have the resources for that. We requested installments and are negotiating the installment plan, and how many installments it will be.”
Brazilian media report that outside the club, dozens of fans protested with banners, demanding changes to the club’s bylaws, the expulsion of former presidents Andrés Sanchez and Duílio Monteiro Alves, and oversight by the ethics committee.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at [email protected]