A court in Rio de Janeiro has removed Ednaldo Rodrigues from his role as president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). The court also appointed vice-president Fernando Sarney as interim president and ordered new elections to be held promptly. Rodrigues, however, has appealed the decision to Brazil’s Supreme Court in an attempt to reclaim his position.
The ruling came on Thursday, just three days after Rodrigues had officially announced Carlo Ancelotti as the new head coach of Brazil’s national team, with a contract running through the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Rodrigues had been re-elected in March to lead the CBF until 2030. However, Judge Gabriel de Oliveira Zefiro temporarily replaced him with Sarney, who had originally petitioned the court for Rodrigues’ removal on the grounds of alleged signature fraud related to the agreement under which the current CBF administration took office.
Following the court’s decision, Sarney stated in an official statement that he is now beginning the process of organizing new elections. A long-time vice president within the CBF, Sarney emphasized that despite the leadership change, all ongoing sporting operations and contractual agreements—including Ancelotti’s appointment—remain valid.
“The game must go on,” Sarney told Globo TV. “I’m only here temporarily. My main goal is to hold elections as quickly as possible. We need to resolve this matter cleanly and without further legal disputes.”
This marks the second time Ednaldo Rodrigues has been removed from office by court order. A similar situation unfolded in December 2023, during the initial negotiations with Ancelotti. That decision was later overturned by Brazil’s Supreme Court.
The court ruling referenced Rodrigues’ controversial agreement with 86-year-old former CBF president Antônio Carlos Nunes, whose mental fitness has been under scrutiny. The petition claimed that Nunes was not mentally competent to consent to the deal due to cognitive decline. A hearing to assess his mental health had been scheduled for Monday, but was suspended shortly after the CBF formally announced Ancelotti’s hiring.
Judge Zefiro stated, “There have been doubts about Antônio Nunes’ mental stability since 2018, when he was diagnosed with brain cancer.” The Associated Press reported that the CBF has not yet responded to the ruling.
The leadership shake-up has raised concerns about possible sanctions from FIFA, which prohibits third-party interference—including court or political intervention—in the affairs of national football associations.
