I like football, and that’s a shame.

Photo by Emilio Garcia on Unsplash

My major flaw is being a fan of football. And I say it’s a flaw because it involves rooting for club officials — in my case, Inter, and anyone playing against Grêmio — and for the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).

The officials from Inter irritate me much more than the CBF, but I feel foolish whenever I root for the CBF. It’s a pain to love football and support the CBF. Even worse is the fact that the CBF commands the biggest national football team in the world.

Today had another chapter, as journalists say, in the CBF soap opera that began in 2017 (yes, SIX years ago) due to the election issue. During this time, there was Caboclo, Colonel Nunes, Del Nero, and Ednaldo at the helm of the CBF. There was intervention from the TJ-RJ and the MP-RJ. There were threats from the FBI, FIFA, and INTERPOL.

Now, running the risk of jeopardizing Fluminense in the upcoming World Cup, the TJ-RJ intervened in the CBF once again, removed President Ednaldo, appointed Perdiz, currently the president of STJD, as an intervener and interim president, and gave 30 days to organize new elections.

It’s like seeing Brazilian politics under a microscope. Everything that has happened from 2014 (that 7–1 defeat) until now is an alternate reality of the CBF, Brazil, and football.

The CBF in summary (a chronology):

• 2017: Del Nero was elected without the clubs’ approval, leading to complaints to the MP about the election.
• 2019: Caboclo was elected in an election challenged by the MP.
• 2021: Caboclo was suspended due to harassment, and Colonel Nunes became the interim president.
• 2021: TJ-RJ decrees intervention in the CBF.
• 2021: Reinaldo Carneiro and Landin are appointed interveners.
• 2021: Days later, TJ-RJ annuls their appointment.
• 2021: The EIGHT VPs of CBF elected Ednaldo as president until April 23, replacing Caboclo.
• 2022: Ednaldo signs an agreement with MP-RJ (TAC) meant to end the intervention in the CBF.
• 2022: Ednaldo is elected, as the sole candidate, president of the CBF until 2026.
• 2022: Some of the CBF’s VPs questioned his ability to sign the TAC because he was not the president of the CBF (he was interim).
• 2022: The CBF claims he could, and the saga continues.
• 2023: By 3–0, TJ-RJ ruled this action and annulled the TAC signed by Ednaldo + MP-RJ, appointing Perdiz as interim. Perdiz, president of STJD, has 30 days to call for another election for the CBF.