More than eighty percent voted to remove him permanently
Em uma das maiores instituições do futebol brasileiro, a membresia do Corinthians votou pela expulsão permanente de seu ex-presidente Andrés Sanchez, encerrando um processo que uniu disciplina interna e responsabilização criminal. A decisão, tomada por ampla maioria na segunda-feira à noite no Parque São Jorge, reflete um momento em que clubes esportivos são chamados a demonstrar que nenhuma figura de poder está acima das normas que sustentam a confiança coletiva. O caso de Sanchez — acusado de desviar mais de R$ 480 mil em gastos pessoais pelo cartão corporativo do clube — lembra que a governança, quando negligenciada, cobra seu preço tanto nas instâncias associativas quanto nos tribunais.
- Com 112 dos 135 membros presentes votando pela expulsão, a membresia do Corinthians rejeitou com força qualquer impulso de clemência em relação ao ex-presidente.
- A tensão era palpável no Parque São Jorge: torcedores organizados lotaram o espaço e, ao ouvir o resultado, soltaram fogos de artifício do lado de fora da sede.
- A alternativa de suspensão por seis meses foi descartada — a membresia optou pela punição mais severa disponível, a expulsão permanente do quadro associativo.
- As acusações vão além do clube: o Ministério Público já denunciou Sanchez por crimes tributários, peculato e lavagem de dinheiro, ampliando as consequências para a esfera criminal.
- O voto aberto — em que a posição de cada membro era visível a todos na sala — sinalizou a determinação do clube de agir com transparência diante de sua própria base.
Na noite de segunda-feira, a membresia do Corinthians se reuniu no Parque São Jorge e votou pela expulsão permanente do ex-presidente Andrés Sanchez. Dos 135 membros presentes, 112 aprovaram a remoção, enquanto 49 votaram contra e seis se abstiveram. Quando o resultado foi anunciado, torcedores organizados que lotavam o local comemoraram com fogos de artifício.
O processo girou em torno do uso do cartão corporativo do clube durante o terceiro mandato de Sanchez, entre 2018 e 2021. A Comissão de Ética apurou que ele teria gasto mais de R$ 480 mil em compras pessoais — relógios importados, roupas e serviços médicos — com os recibos registrados em seu próprio nome, sugerindo que os recursos do clube foram tratados como patrimônio particular.
Antes da votação, os membros consideraram uma punição alternativa: suspensão por seis meses, que retiraria os direitos políticos de Sanchez sem expulsá-lo definitivamente. A proposta não avançou. A Comissão de Ética havia recomendado a medida mais grave, e a membresia seguiu essa orientação.
O caso já ultrapassou os limites da disciplina interna. O promotor Cássio Conserino denunciou Sanchez por crimes tributários, peculato e lavagem de dinheiro, concluindo que o padrão de gastos configurava conduta criminosa. Para quem já foi uma das figuras mais poderosas do clube, a expulsão e a persecução penal simultâneas representam uma queda abrupta — e um sinal de que o Corinthians não estava disposto a proteger nem minimizar o que foi apurado.
The Corinthians membership voted Monday night to expel former president Andrés Sanchez from the club, ending a contentious proceeding that drew hundreds of supporters to the organization's headquarters at Parque São Jorge. The decision came after an open ballot in which 112 of the 135 members present voted for removal, 49 opposed it, and six abstained. The crowd that filled the venue made its preference clear throughout the evening, and when the result was announced, members of the club's organized supporter groups set off fireworks and celebrated on the grounds.
The expulsion centers on Sanchez's use of the club's corporate credit card during his third term as president, which ran from 2018 to 2021. According to an investigation by the club's Ethics Commission, Sanchez charged more than 480,000 Brazilian reais to the card for personal purchases—imported watches, clothing, and medical services—all recorded under his own name on the receipts. The scope of the spending and the manner in which it was documented raised questions about whether the former leader had treated club resources as his own.
Before the vote, the membership had considered an alternative: suspending Sanchez from the club's associative body for six months, a punishment that would have stripped his political rights and removed him from day-to-day involvement in Corinthians affairs. That option did not advance. Instead, the membership chose the more severe measure of permanent expulsion from the organization.
The case has moved beyond club discipline into the criminal system. Public prosecutors, working under prosecutor Cássio Conserino, have charged Sanchez with tax crimes, embezzlement, and money laundering. The investigation documented the pattern of corporate card use and concluded that the spending constituted criminal conduct. The Ethics Commission's recommendation for expulsion aligned with the prosecution's view that the conduct warranted the club's harshest available sanction.
The vote itself followed formal procedure. Both sides presented arguments for twenty minutes before the membership cast ballots. The Ethics Commission's case was sustained at the outset, establishing the framework for the discussion that followed. The open ballot meant each member's position was visible to the room—a transparency that reflected the intensity of feeling around the matter and the club's determination to demonstrate accountability to its base.
For Sanchez, the expulsion marks a sharp reversal from his position as one of the club's most powerful figures. He now faces both removal from the organization and criminal prosecution, a dual consequence that signals how seriously both the club and the state have taken the allegations. The membership's decisive vote—more than eighty percent in favor of expulsion—suggests there was little appetite within the organization to protect him or minimize the offense.
Notable Quotes
The Ethics Commission recommended expulsion over a six-month suspension— Corinthians Ethics Commission
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did the club choose expulsion over the six-month suspension that was also on the table?
The suspension would have been a softer landing—he'd lose his political voice but stay technically a member. The membership decided that wasn't enough. The scale of the spending, the way it was documented under his name, the fact that it happened while he was president—it all pointed to something more serious than a temporary cooling-off period.
What does it mean that this vote was open, not secret?
Everyone in that room saw who voted which way. There's no hiding. In a moment when the supporters are packed outside celebrating, an open ballot makes it harder to vote against expulsion quietly. It's transparency, but it's also pressure.
The prosecutors charged him with money laundering. That's a serious allegation. Does that change how the club sees what happened?
It does. The club's Ethics Commission recommended expulsion based on the misuse itself. But when prosecutors say it's not just spending—it's laundering, tax evasion, embezzlement—it reframes the whole thing. The club isn't just punishing poor judgment. It's distancing itself from conduct the state views as criminal.
Why watches and clothes? Why those items specifically?
They're conspicuous. They're not ambiguous business expenses. You can't argue a watch is a club necessity. It makes the case clearer: this was personal spending on a club card, documented in his name, during his presidency. There's no gray area.
What happens to him now?
He's out of the club entirely and facing criminal court. The expulsion is the club's statement. The prosecution is the state's. He's dealing with both at once.