CBF President reinstated by Brazilian Supreme Court

Rodrigues was dismissed on 7 December by a court in Rio de Janeiro. The court had ordered his removal following the annulment of the elections that put him in office in 2022. The court appointed José Peridz as interim president and ordered elections within 30 days. However, FIFA and Conmebol have refused to recognise the new president.

Supreme Court judge Gilmar Mendes last Thursday issued an urgent order for the reinstatement of Ednaldo Rodrigues as president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). FIFA had threatened to impose severe sanctions on Brazilian football over the president's dismissal.

"I order the suspension of the effectiveness of the resolutions issued by the Court of Rio de Janeiro (...) to immediately reinstate the leaders elected at the General Electoral Assembly of the CBF on 23 March 2022," the judge of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) said in his ruling, as reported by AFP.

Ednaldo Rodrigues will be reinstated as president of the CBF once the decision of the Brazilian Supreme Court is in place. GETTY IMAGES

Mendes ordered the ruling to be enforced immediately. However, it must be ratified by the entire STF before it takes effect. The decision is a return to the status quo, as Rodrigues had been removed from office by a Rio court on 7 December as a result of the annulment of the 2022 elections that brought him to power.

The situation became turbulent when the court appointed the president of the Superior Tribunal of Sports Justice, José Perdiz, as interim president. He was ordered to call new elections within 30 days. However, FIFA and Conmebol warned the CBF that they did not recognise the interim president. They threatened to impose severe sanctions. 

These sanctions, according to a joint letter dated 24 December and published in the Brazilian press, could lead to Brazil being banned from international competitions. Brazilian teams could also be barred from participating in various competitions organized by both bodies. 

The pre-Olympic tournament in Venezuela, which starts on 20 January, could see the Brazilian national team miss out. FIFA is set to visit Brazil to investigate the case. GETTY IMAGES

The ruling by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice comes ahead of a plan by FIFA and Conmebol to send a delegation to Brazil to analyze the situation with the various organizations in order to address the crisis and what FIFA and Conmebol see as "external interference" by the Brazilian judicial system. "The regulations are clear and unambiguous. Under no circumstances," a Conmebol source told AFP at the end of December, "can external forces intervene in the affairs of their members. This is precisely what football's governing body does not accept and what it believes has happened in Brazil.

The Public Prosecutor's Office and the Attorney General of Brazil have sent documents to the Brazilian Supreme Court for consideration, urging a fair evaluation of the reinstatement of Ednaldo Rodrigues as President of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). These recommendations appear to have prompted the Brazilian Supreme Court to reconsider its decision. The decision was taken after consultation with the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Attorney General. 

A pre-Olympic tournament is due to kick off in Venezuela on 20 January, and the Brazilian national team is expected to take part. At the moment, everything is in limbo. The decision of the Brazilian Supreme Court has to be ratified by the STF for it to come into effect.