Corinthians: behind the scenes of the vote to expel Andrés Sanchez

Last Monday (25), at Parque São Jorge, the Corinthians Deliberative Council determined the expulsion of Andrés Sanchez from the club's membership. The former president was internally investigated for personal expenses with Timão's corporate card during his last administration, between 2018 and 2021.

The vote was conducted smoothly, but there were some tense moments.

See below the behind-the-scenes of the meeting between advisors at Alvinegro's headquarters.

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Armando Mendonça "expelled"
Armando Mendonça, vice-president of Corinthians, tried to follow the vote at the Parque São Jorge theater, but was asked to leave by Leonardo Pantaleão, acting president of the Deliberative Council.

In the call notice, Pantaleão defined that only counselors could be present in the theater. Statutory directors, members of the executive board, journalists and fans, for example, could not attend.

Armando strongly disagreed with Pantaleão's decision and expressed his dissatisfaction in contact with the press, shortly after being "expelled".

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"In the summons, there was an item prohibiting the presence of the board and I went to ask him where this was in the statute. He prohibited our presence. Opposition councilors agreed with his position and I withdrew from the meeting. As vice-president, representing Corinthians here, as our president is traveling to Rio de Janeiro, for a meeting at the CBF, I think it is disrespectful to the institution, to the history of Corinthians", said Armando.

Soon after leaving the theater, Armando met with Pedro Soares, legal director of Corinthians, and William Tapara de Oliveira, known as Índio, deputy legal director.

"Pantaleão knows little about the club's history. Never in the history of Corinthians has a president or vice-president been banned from participating in a meeting of the Deliberative Council. The result of this meeting is reflected in the board, as it is executive, it executes the Council's decision. The executive board made employees available so that we could have a peaceful, safe meeting. The president took such an attitude, I only have to regret it. I hope that next time he will study the statute better and be able to take correct measures in respect of the Corinthians", added the vice-president.

Pantaleão, asked about Armando's speeches, avoided getting into controversy and was direct.

"Regarding Armando, I'm not going to comment. It's his opinion, I respect it. So it stays that way", he said.

Manifestation by Mário Gobbi
Mário Gobbi, former president of Corinthians and lifelong advisor, questioned the fact that Pantaleão did not consider Andrés' suspension as a possibility. In this scenario, he would not be expelled, but he would be prevented from attending the club for a specified period.

A well-known member of the Renovation & Transparency ticket, Gobbi also questioned why the votes were open.

As soon as Gobbi spoke, triennial advisor Marcos Ribeiro Caldeirinha responded, and a small debate ensued.

Pantaleão commented on what happened.
"There was no specific survey about this (request for suspension). Mario Gobbi initially questioned why the opinion of the Ethics Committee did not present this type of alternative. It was explained that the opinion of the Ethics Committee is an opinion for a certain punishment from the moment it investigates what it found within the evidence produced in the process. But no one specifically raised this suspension penalty to be debated", said the president of the Deliberative Council.

Could Pantaleão preside over the vote?
At one point, triennial advisor José Luis Cecílio questioned the fact that Pantaleão presided over the body during the vote, since he, as president of the Ethics Committee, was the rapporteur of the case that investigated the use of the corporate card for personal expenses during Andrés Sanchez's management.

It was imagined that Pantaleão could transfer this responsibility to one of the general secretaries of the Deliberative Council.

However, Maria Angela Ocampos (first secretary) did not attend. Denis Piovesan (second secretary) was not contacted.

When responding to Cecílio, Pantaleão denied being suspected of presiding over the body during the vote. He disagreed with the appointment, as he would not vote.

Triennials condition voting
Voting was balanced among life councilors. In total, 16 were in favor of expulsion, while 14 were against it.

The difference was seen in the voting among the 137 triennials who attended Parque São Jorge.

In total, of the 167 councilors present, 112 voted for Andrés' expulsion, while 49 were against. Six abstained.

Faithful party
Fans outside Parque São Jorge celebrated Andrés' expulsion even before the final numbers were released. The Corinthians present, who chanted against the former president during the vote, released firecrackers after the final result.

At one point, fans spread soap around Parque São Jorge, in a kind of "wash" at the club.

About an hour after the vote, several fans were still on the street leading to the club, eating barbecue, drinking beer and listening to music.

Next steps
People linked to Andrés do not rule out an attempt to judicialize the Deliberative Council's decision. According to Central do Timão, the former councilor's defense tried to suspend the vote in court before it even took place, but the requests were rejected.

"It's a defense right. We have no control over it. It can happen, it's part of the democratic process. It's even good that it eventually happens so that there is more transparency", commented Pantaleão.

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Source: CNN