Santos has postponed a members’ assembly that was due to consider a new club statute on November 8, intensifying political tensions ahead of the presidential election. The opposition welcomed the delay, while Deliberative Council president Fernando Akaoui intends to schedule a vote for December 19, before the next administration takes office.
Former club president Orlando Rollo helped arrange the suspension. He returned to Santos’ membership earlier this year after the decision to expel him was overturned. Rollo is expected to support incumbent president Marcelo Teixeira, who has not yet formally launched his re-election campaign.
Rollo and the presidential slates agreed to seek a postponement after concerns emerged about the proposed statute’s timetable. If approved, it would take effect on November 9 and require every slate to submit criminal-record certificates by November 12. The period was considered too short, and Akaoui approved the delay with the agreement of all slates. Teixeira’s allies, however, believe the issue should have been settled much earlier.
The proposed changes would allow an investor to acquire a majority stake in Santos’ football company, the SAF, with control of up to 80% of its shares. Santos is negotiating a sale to US fund SDC Sports, which will submit a binding final offer only after the statute is amended. The postponement leaves the proposal without a clear timetable for approval.
The presidential election is scheduled for December 12, and the elected president is due to begin the term in January 2027. Opposition candidates Ivan Luduvice and Maurício Maruca had separately turned to the courts in attempts to stop the assembly. Luduvice’s request was rejected, although it could still be appealed; Maruca’s case did not proceed because the court in the capital said the matter should be filed in Santos.
Neither court action addressed the deadline for submitting criminal-record certificates, the issue that led to the postponement. Luduvice described the decision as a victory for Santos and credited mobilization, legal action and pressure from supporters. Wladimir Mattos said he would remain vigilant, while José Renato Quaresma called the delay Teixeira’s first defeat and predicted another at the ballot box.
Sources: Globo Esporte.