By Samindra Kunti
June 5 – CBF president Marco Polo Del Nero is expected to resign during an extraordinary general assembly next week as the crisis deepens in Brazilian football.
Last week the president of Brazil’s football confederation Del Nero said he was “angry and perplexed” by the arrest of his predecessor Jose Maria Marin on charges of alleged fraud, racketeering and money laundering over more than two decades. Following a dawn raid on May 29 at Zurich’s Bar au Lac hotel, Marin was taken into custody by Swiss authorities, pending extradition to the United States.
Del Nero, who had been set to attend the FIFA Congress and oversee Brazil’s vote in the election between Sepp Blatter and challenger Prince Ali of Jordan, fled Switzerland the following day. He explained he had returned to Brazil to provide “any necessary explanations” to local authorities. The 74-year-old, who succeeded Marin in April, denied any knowledge of irregularities within the CBF.
“How would I have known? I didn’t sign any contract during President Marin’s administration,” Del Nero said.
Brazilian authorities have launched their own probe into allegations of widespread corruption in domestic football. Brazilian football’s top official is feeling the heat, also having lost prestige as a FIFA and CONMEBOL executive committee member. Del Nero lost support in South America after ignoring CONMEBOL’s call to vote against Blatter. Brazil’s representative, the president of the Ceara federation Mauro Carmelio, voted on Del Nero’s instructions for the Swiss at the FIFA Congress.
Del Nero has called for an extraordinary general assembly of the CBF next week. Officially the meeting is to implement a partial reform of CBF statutes with a proposed limitation of the president’s mandate on the agenda, but Del Nero is expected to handpick his successor, according to Brazilian newspaper Estadão.
Del Nero’s favorite is the president of the Capixaba federation Marcus Vicente, but CBF statutes dictate that the oldest of vice-presidents, in this case Delfim Peixoto, has to succeed the incumbent president. Another option for Del Nero is to remain in power, while he enjoys the support of 24 of the 27 federations in Brazilian football.
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