By Paul Nicholson
January 8 – Just when you thought he had gone he came back. And just when you thought he was back he is gone again. Brazilian football confederation (CBF) chief Marco Polo Del Nero is to take another 150 days of leave just two days after returning to his post.
Del Nero was one 16 football officials indicted by US prosecutors in a second swoop on December 3. He is accused of soliciting and receiving bribes for marketing and broadcast rights to South American tournaments including the Copa Libertadores.
Back in May last year Del Nero fled Zurich after the first round of US indictments that saw the arrest in Switzerland of seven official prior to the FIFA Congress. Since then he has not left Brazil and resigned from his position on FIFA’s executive committee having failed to attend any FIFA meetings for six months.
While taking his first leave of absence to fight the charges of corruption he was replaced by Antonio Vicente. He returned to take back his position earlier this week with Vicente saying his “job is done”.
Vicente won’t be standing in for Del Nero a second time. CBF Vice-President Antonio Carlos Nunes da Lima will takeover as interim president said a statement posted on the CBF website. It seems an elaborate way to replace one interim president with another.
Vicente was not a reformist, in fact generally he was viewed as coming from Brazil’s old school of football politicians.
Nunes appears to be more committed to change saying that the CBF would increase its efforts “on the path to modernisation, transparency and corporative ethics” in the Brazilian game.
But first his task will be to restore some of Brazil’s former glory on the pitch via the Olympic Games tournaments and World Cup qualifiers this year.
“The year 2016 has big challenges for us in the sporting arena and in the area of management,” he said.
Del Nero, who only become president of the CBF in April, has denied the accusations. He has generally kept a low profile since returning from Zurich though he has appeared before a Brazilian Congressional hearing into football corruption.
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