FIFA has again backed embattled Brazilian soccer confederation (CBF) president Ednaldo Rodrigues.
Emilio García, chief legal officer for world soccer’s governing body, visited the confederation’s headquarters on Monday.
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His visit comes just days after a Supreme Court justice reinstated Rodrigues, annulling a December court ruling that removed Rodrigues and all his executives from their jobs at the confederation, because of irregularities in the 2022 election process.
In a video published on CBF’s official website, García called for a return to normalcy in Brazilian soccer.
“We are relieved by the Supreme Court’s decision that restores Ednaldo to the presidency of the CBF,” he said. “We are happy that we are back to the original situation, in which Brazilian soccer elects its president.”
The move also comes amid uncertainty regarding the head coach of Brazil’s national team after Fernando Diniz was fired on Friday and Sau Paulo announced on Sunday that their manager Dorival Junior was leaving to take over the position.
Prior to that, FIFA and South American soccer body CONMEBOL alleged the Rio de Janeiro court ruling that had dismissed Rodrigues was an undue third-party interference, and FIFA had threatened to suspend Brazil from all international competitions.
“There was a real risk that the FIFA council would exclude Brazilian teams, in all categories, and Brazilian clubs from competing in international competitions,” García said in the video.
FIFA and CONMEBOL executives had planned Monday’s meeting to assess the crisis before Justice Gilmar Mendes’ Jan. 4 decision.
The 10 other justices of Brazil’s top court will analyze Mendes’ preliminary decision for a final ruling on a date yet to be determined.
In the few weeks that Rodrigues was out, the CBF was led by a court-appointed overseer, José Perdiz, who was responsible for organizing new elections. The process was already in motion with two candidates bidding for support of local federations and clubs.
Rodrigues, who thanked FIFA and CONMEBOL for their support, first took the job as interim president in 2021 after predecessor Rogério Caboclo was suspended for an alleged sexual assault against a CBF staffer.
“This is the moment that restores normality to Brazilian football and we have many commitments for our calendar. From now on we want to concentrate on the development of Brazilian football,” Rodrigues said.
“I was elected in a clear and transparent way. Brazilian football wins when its autonomy is restored. We can now be sure that Brazil’s clubs and national teams will take part in international competitions.”
Brazil are sixth in the South American qualifying standings for the 2026 World Cup, after suffering three straight defeats to Uruguay, Colombia and Argentina, respectively.
