Fresh troubles have struck Brazilian football as a court in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday ordered the dismissal of Ednaldo Rodrigues, president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), over allegations of forgery in his employment contract. This ruling marks yet another setback for Brazilian football governance, just days after the morale-boosting announcement of Carlo Ancelotti’s appointment as national team coach.
The court found that a signatory of Rodrigues’s 2025 contract was mentally unfit at the time of signing, leading to suspicions of a forged signature. The judge declared the contract “null and void,” and mandated that the CBF conduct new presidential elections. This decision puts the federation under renewed scrutiny and threatens to destabilize ongoing plans to revive Brazil’s footballing fortunes.
Rodrigues, 71, made history as the first black president of the CBF. Ahead of the ruling, he defended the validity of the contract, telling reporters at a FIFA event in Paraguay that he had “absolute certainty” the document was legitimate. However, this isn’t his first legal hurdle he was temporarily suspended in 2023 over alleged irregularities in the 2022 CBF election but was reinstated after Brazil’s Supreme Court intervened, following pressure from FIFA.
Both FIFA and CONMEBOL have previously warned Brazil against governmental or judicial interference in football administration, threatening bans from international competitions if such involvement continues. The CBF now finds itself in a precarious position, needing to navigate a legal crisis while avoiding global football sanctions.
Rodrigues had been instrumental in the high-profile negotiations to bring Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti on board as Brazil’s national coach. Though the effort initially failed, Ancelotti was finally confirmed as the new coach of the Selecao just four days ago. Rodrigues called him the “greatest coach in history,” pinning hopes of a footballing revival on his leadership.
In March, Rodrigues was re-elected unopposed to lead the CBF until 2030 after football legend Ronaldo withdrew his candidacy. However, soon after, investigative reports by Brazilian magazine Piaui accused Rodrigues of securing votes by offering salary hikes to regional football heads a charge that has reignited calls for transparency and reform. This leadership crisis comes at a time when Brazil is desperate to restore its footballing image. The national team, reeling from a humiliating 4-1 defeat to Argentina in March, is in fourth place in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. That loss also led to the sacking of coach Dorival Junior.
The CBF had hoped that the appointment of Ancelotti, a two-time Champions League winner with AC Milan, would mark a turning point. Instead, it now faces the possibility of fresh elections and internal turbulence, threatening to derail progress once again. As Brazilian football grapples with both off-field scandals and on-field struggles, all eyes are on how the federation will respond to the court’s ruling and whether FIFA will step in to prevent deeper fallout.
