Justice Minister Mendes Reinstates Rodrigues Amid FIFA Concerns

 Justice Minister Mendes Reinstates Rodrigues Amid FIFA Concerns

President of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) Ednaldo Rodrigues (L) presents the trophy to Palmeiras' president Leila Pereira (C) after winning the Brazilian Championship following the football match between Cruzeiro and Palmeiras at Minerao stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on December 6, 2023.(Image-Getty)

Brazilian Justice Minister Gilmar Mendes has directed the reinstatement of Ednaldo Rodrigues as the president of the country's football confederation, overturning a previous decision by the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice. Despite being elected to lead the CBF until 2026, Rodrigues was removed from his position last month, with the court appointing Jose Perdiz, the president of the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD), as the interim head.

Mendes justified the reinstatement by emphasizing the potential risk of FIFA, the global governing body of soccer, barring the Brazil national team from participating in the qualifying tournament for the Paris 2024 Olympics. FIFA strictly prohibits government interference in soccer affairs and imposes sanctions, including exclusion from competitions, for non-compliance with these rules.

Highlighting the urgency of the matter, Mendes expressed concern about the imminent damage, stating that the registration of Brazilian national team players for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualifying tournament, scheduled to be completed by January 5, 2024, could become unfeasible. He noted that FIFA had communicated through successive letters to Brazil, explicitly rejecting the legitimacy of the interim president appointed by the court as the representative of CBF.