The facts had damaged the club's institutional credibility
Nas instituições que carregam a identidade coletiva de milhões, a confiança é o patrimônio mais frágil e mais precioso. O Conselho Deliberativo do Corinthians votou, na segunda-feira, pela expulsão do ex-presidente Andrés Sánchez do quadro associativo do clube, após investigação que apontou uso indevido de cartão corporativo no valor de aproximadamente R$ 480 mil entre 2018 e 2021. Com 112 votos favoráveis, a decisão representa não apenas uma ruptura institucional, mas o reconhecimento de que o exercício do poder exige prestação de contas — e que o silêncio das políticas internas não absolve quem as deveria criar.
- A votação no Parque São Jorge foi aberta e nominal, tornando pública a posição de cada conselheiro diante de uma das expulsões mais graves da história recente do clube.
- Advogados de Sánchez tentaram barrar a assembleia com pedidos de liminar na manhã da segunda-feira, mas as ordens judiciais foram negadas, e o processo seguiu seu curso.
- A defesa sustentou que a ausência de uma política interna clara sobre o uso do cartão corporativo gerava ambiguidade, e que parte dos valores já havia sido devolvida ao clube.
- A Comissão de Ética concluiu que as justificativas apresentadas eram insuficientes e que os fatos comprometeram a credibilidade institucional do Corinthians.
- Para além da expulsão, Sánchez enfrenta ação penal por peculato e investigação por lavagem de dinheiro movidas pelo Ministério Público de São Paulo, mantendo o caso vivo nos tribunais.
Na segunda-feira, o Conselho Deliberativo do Corinthians aprovou, por 112 votos a 49, com 6 abstenções, a expulsão do ex-presidente Andrés Sánchez do quadro de sócios do clube. A votação, aberta e registrada no Parque São Jorge, seguiu recomendação formal da Comissão de Ética após investigação administrativa interna.
O caso gira em torno do uso do cartão corporativo do clube durante a gestão de Sánchez. Entre agosto de 2018 e fevereiro de 2021, despesas de caráter pessoal teriam sido lançadas no cartão institucional. O Ministério Público de São Paulo calculou o valor contestado em cerca de R$ 480 mil, já com correções e juros. A Comissão de Ética entendeu que Sánchez descumpriu obrigações éticas e institucionais, especialmente no que diz respeito ao uso de recursos do clube e à prestação de contas.
O presidente do Conselho Deliberativo, Leonardo Pantaleão, afirmou que as irregularidades não podiam ser tratadas como meros descuidos burocráticos, e que os fatos haviam abalado a credibilidade da instituição. A defesa, por sua vez, argumentou que não havia política interna específica regulando o uso do cartão, que parte dos valores já havia sido ressarcida e que houve confusão entre despesas pessoais e institucionais. Tentativas de suspender a assembleia por via judicial foram rejeitadas ainda pela manhã.
Sánchez não compareceu à votação — medidas cautelares já o impediam de acessar as dependências do clube. Seu advogado, Alexandre Imbriani, apresentou a defesa em seu lugar. A expulsão encerra o vínculo formal de Sánchez com o Corinthians, mas não encerra seus problemas jurídicos: ele responde a ação penal por peculato e a investigações por lavagem de dinheiro e crimes tributários perante o Ministério Público paulista.
On Monday, the Corinthians Deliberative Council voted to expel Andrés Sánchez from the club's membership rolls. The vote was decisive: 112 in favor, 49 opposed, 6 abstaining. The decision came after an open, recorded ballot at Parque São Jorge, the club's headquarters, and followed a formal recommendation from the club's Ethics Commission.
The expulsion centered on Sánchez's use of the club's corporate card during his tenure as president. An internal administrative investigation found that between August 2018 and February 2021, Sánchez charged personal expenses to the card. The São Paulo Public Ministry calculated the disputed amount at roughly 480,000 reais, including accrued interest and monetary corrections. The Ethics Commission concluded that Sánchez had violated the club's ethical and institutional obligations, particularly regarding the use of corporate resources and his duty to account for expenditures.
Leonardo Pantaleão, the sitting president of the Deliberative Council, stated in the report obtained by UOL that these irregularities could not be dismissed as mere bureaucratic oversights. He argued that the facts had damaged the club's institutional credibility. The Ethics Commission also found that Sánchez had failed to provide sufficient documentation proving that the contested expenses served institutional purposes.
Sánchez's defense presented a different narrative. His legal team argued that no specific internal policy existed to govern corporate card use, and that some of the charges were tied to institutional commitments. They contended there had been confusion between personal and corporate expenses, and that portions of the disputed amounts had already been repaid to the club. On Monday morning, Sánchez's attorneys attempted to halt the meeting through court orders, but the requests were denied.
Sánchez did not attend the vote. Preventive measures already in place barred him from accessing the club's facilities, so his defense was presented by attorney Alexandre Imbriani. Beyond the club's internal proceedings, Sánchez faces multiple legal actions. The São Paulo Public Ministry has brought charges of embezzlement against him. In another case, a court initially rejected allegations of money laundering and tax crimes, though the legal process continues. The expulsion from the club's membership represents a formal institutional rupture, but the legal battles remain unresolved.
Notable Quotes
These irregularities could not be dismissed as mere bureaucratic oversights; the facts had damaged the club's institutional credibility.— Leonardo Pantaleão, president of the Deliberative Council
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did the Ethics Commission feel this rose above a simple accounting error?
Because the amounts were substantial—nearly half a million reais—and because Sánchez couldn't document that the expenses served the club's interests. That's the difference between a mistake and a breach of trust.
Did Sánchez have any legitimate defense?
He argued there was no clear policy governing the card's use, which is a fair point. But the commission saw that as his responsibility to clarify, not an excuse. And he did repay some of it, which suggests he knew something was wrong.
Why couldn't he even attend his own hearing?
The court had already barred him from the club's premises as a precautionary measure. So he sat out the vote that ended his membership, watching through his lawyer.
Is expulsion the end of this, or does the legal trouble continue?
The legal trouble is separate and ongoing. The club can expel him from membership, but the Public Ministry's embezzlement charges will move through the courts independently. This is institutional accountability; the criminal system is another matter entirely.
What does this signal about Corinthians' governance now?
That they're willing to hold even their own presidents accountable when the evidence is clear. Whether that's a turning point or just damage control depends on what happens next.