March 25 – Following the withdrawal of Ronaldo Nazario’s candidacy from the process, Ednaldo Rodrigues has earned re-election as President of the Brazilian Football Association (CBF).
The incumbent received all 141 votes on offer with the share split between the 40 clubs of Serie A and Serie B, and the 27 state federations – the traditional powerbase of the CBF. Rodrigues will now lead the organisation until 2030.
Following his victory, Rodrigues said Brazilian football “was more united than ever”, but that claim is somewhat of a stretch. His management of the CBF has been marked by criticism.
Brazil’s national team has limped on in the post-Tite era, the domestic calendar remains very congested and match officials in the country have been heavily criticised.
In 2023, a Rio de Janeiro court removed Rodrigues from his post for alleged irregularities in the presidential election the previous year. However, FIFA and CONEMBOL executives threatened to suspend Brazil from international competitions for alleged governmental interference. One month late Brazil’s Supreme Court overruled the decision.
“Over the past few years, we have faced many challenges,” said Rodrigues. “We have suffered all kinds of prejudice and persecution. They even attempted a coup. We resisted and won.”
Under his presidency, the CBF’s revenue has grown and more money has been distributed to the state federations.
Without support from the local federations, Ronaldo Nazario, the current President of Spanish side Real Valladolid, pulled out of the race in March. The former World Cup winner had sought to challenge Rodrigues, a FIFA Council member, to restore Brazilian football to its former glory.
“We broke successive revenue and surplus records, reinvesting more than 70% in the development and promotion of Brazilian football,” said Rodrigues. “The largest investment in history. We intensified efforts to implement the World Cup Legacy Fund, building football development centres in states that did not host games and improving stadium infrastructure throughout the country.”
In 2027, Brazil will host the Women’s World Cup, a first for South America. The CONEMBOL region, however, missed out on staging the centenary 2030 World Cup and settled for three matches in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay as a celebration.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, moc.l1743115407labto1743115407ofdlr1743115407owedi1743115407sni@i1743115407tnuk.1743115407ardni1743115407mas1743115407