The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) president, Ednaldo Rodrigues, was ousted from his position on Thursday by a Rio de Janeiro court, according to the State Court of Justice.
The court overturned an assembly conducted in 2022 at which Rodrigues was elected to lead the CBF until 2026, and appointed the president of the Superior Court of Sports, Justice Jose Perdiz, as interim head.
According to the court order, Perdiz will be responsible for staging a new election within 30 days.
The CBF acknowledged via a representative that they are aware of the court judgement and are considering appropriate actions.
The verdict comes in response to a request from former CBF vice-presidents who were removed from their positions under a 2022 agreement between the CBF and the Public Prosecutor’s Office about the electoral procedure.
The Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice determined on Thursday that the Conduct Agreement negotiated by the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the CBF was unlawful.
The interference of the court in the CBF’s management could result in punishment from FIFA, the world football’s regulatory body.
“FIFA has been made aware that an agreement concluded between CBF and the Public Attorney’s office of Rio de Janeiro may now apparently be at risk of being cancelled or amended by local courts,” the International Football Association (FIFA) stated in a statement.
“We understand that a possible cancellation or modification to such agreement could have an impact on the outcome of the CBF Executive Board elections, which took place on March 23, 2022.”
“We would like to remind CBF that FIFA member associations must manage their affairs independently and without undue influence from third parties, including state authorities.”
“Any breach of such obligation may lead to potential sanctions as provided for in the FIFA Statutes,” a statement from the international organisation stated.