Between the Circus of Soccer Big Wigs and the Ball that (Sometimes) Rolls

Ladies and gentlemen, grab your front-row seats, because this week's spectacle at the great madhouse of Brazilian football was a gala affair. We had a bit of everything: the chronicle of a death foretold at Parque São Jorge, complete with an impeachment vote that felt more like the reading of a well-known will; the sacred geometry of VAR, tracing lines more controversial than those of Nazca; and, of course, the ball rolling, because, at the end of the day, someone has to work in this country.

While Corinthians drowned in its own administrative quagmire, with the final chapter of the "Augusto Melo" soap opera serving as an appetizer, Botafogo decided that subtlety was for the weak and ran over Fortaleza at Castelão Stadium, in a 5-0 rout that made the home fans wonder if the apocalypse had arrived early. To avoid a dull weekend, Bahia and Fluminense presented us with a chaotic six-goal ballet, a 3-3 draw that should be exhibited in art schools as an example of abstract expressionism.

So, dear readers, prepare your liver and your heart. Today's column navigates between the farce of the offices and the glory (or disgrace) of the pitch. Welcome to the roller coaster.

Chronicle of a Death Foretold: The Impeachment in São Jorge Park

It wasn't a surprise. It was an epilogue. The official impeachment of Augusto Melo as president of Corinthians last Saturday was less of a bombastic event and more of a formality at a wake for the deceased, who had been absent from the club's membership since May. The vote at the general members' assembly was merely the final straw in a grave that the president himself dug with diligence and dedication over a little over a year of a tenure that will go down in history as a case study in how not to manage a giant.

Melo's downfall is a multi-part story, each more dramatic than the last. The main plot, the piece that sealed his fate, was the "VaideBet" scandal. It all began with the promise of a massive R$360 million master sponsorship, a figure that made the eyes of the Fiel fans shine. The problem? To close the deal, they had to pay a R$40 million fine to terminate their contract with the previous sponsor. Melo's initial version was that the new partner would foot the bill. Days later, the truth, as always, came out: the debt was Corinthians's.

Things, already stinking, took a turn for the worse when the case left the sports pages and reached the police. The Civil Police opened an investigation into the suspicion that a "front man" had been used to broker the contract. The investigation culminated in Melo's indictment for criminal association, aggravated theft, and money laundering, concluding that embezzlement from the contract had been used to pay off his campaign debts. With the bookmaker unilaterally ending its sponsorship in June, the house of cards collapsed once and for all.

This succession of events exemplifies a problem that plagues many Brazilian clubs. A charismatic leader comes to power with grandiose promises of financial salvation and sporting glory. Instead of professional and transparent management, high-risk, low-clarity maneuvers are chosen, concentrating power and decisions in a single figure. When these bets go wrong, as in the VaideBet case, the collapse is not only political but also institutional. The presidential structure, lacking robust and independent oversight mechanisms, creates a fertile environment for a leader's personal ambition to override the club's interests, resulting in cyclical crises. Melo's impeachment, therefore, is less the story of one man and more the symptom of a flawed governance system.

As if the sponsorship mess weren't enough, the club's finances under his management were a horror movie. The 2024 accounts were rejected by the Deliberative Council, the debt increased by R$829 million, and the club posted a deficit of R$181.8 million. The only lifeline Melo clung to was the Campeonato Paulista title over archrival Palmeiras, breaking a five-year drought. It was the classic "bread and circuses," a victory that bought time and the goodwill of the organized fans, but it wasn't enough to hide the structural rot. Now, with the club in flames, the team travels to face Juventude, and the big question is whether the toxic smoke from the board will suffocate the team on the field. As some more experienced commentators have already pointed out, the clean-up, however painful, was the first and inevitable step.

The Geometry of Controversy: VAR and the Eternal Millimetric Doubt

On Sunday, Allianz Parque hosted another episode of the series "VAR: The Electronic Referee and His Mysterious Laws." Palmeiras was leading Ceará 2-1 when, in stoppage time, Aylon scored for the Ceará team. Celebration for the black and white team, despair for the green and white team. But then the VAR booth called. After minutes of suspense, virtual lines were drawn with the precision of a surgeon with Parkinson's disease, and the goal was disallowed due to a pinpoint offside. The final score: 2-1 for Palmeiras, and controversy served as the main course.

The most delightful thing about this kind of incident isn't even the doubt itself, but the reaction that follows. A shrewd former referee and current commentator made the perfect observation, comparing the shouting (or lack thereof) with an equally dubious incident in a recent Palmeiras-Corinthians match in the Copa do Brasil. "Let's see if whoever shouted then will shout now," he said, in other words, exposing the moral selectivity that governs refereeing analyses in Brazil. His conclusion was decisive: it's a matter of drawing lines, and you can never be 100% certain.

This incident isn't an outlier; it's the norm. VAR, which arrived promising to be the solution to refereeing errors, has in many cases become a tool to fuel discord. Another renowned journalist recently took time to criticize the "serious errors" that have become routine in the Brasileirão, while one of the elders of sports journalism has already lamented that technology has transformed "the orgasm of a goal" into the agony of waiting.

What we see is that technology in Brazil doesn't operate in a vacuum. It's embedded within a deeply ingrained "culture of complaint." An incident like Ceará's disallowed goal isn't analyzed objectively. It's immediately linked to a history of alleged favoritism or prejudice, as the commentator did when citing the match against Corinthians. The discussion shifts from "was it offside?" to "who is the system benefiting this time?" This forces clubs to adopt a posture of constant protest and fuels a spiral of distrust that poisons the environment. VAR, instead of serving as a neutral referee, has become a kind of forensic evidence for conspiracy theories, transforming the issue of refereeing from a technical issue to a psychological and social one.

The Round-Up: Goals, Thrashings and the Definitive Guide for Those Who Embarrassed Themselves

We've reached the climax of the weekend, the 19th round, the moment that officially concludes the first round and separates the title contenders, the Libertadores dreamers, and those already starting to do the math to avoid relegation. Let's get to the facts, with our far from biased opinions.

This round wasn't just a series of matches; it crystallized the narratives that define the Brasileirão. Botafogo's rout wasn't just a victory; it was a show of strength that solidified their image as a title contender. Vasco's draw wasn't just a point; it was another chapter in their saga of suffering and struggle for survival. The 3-3 draw between Bahia and Fluminense was the embodiment of "Dinizismo" and the identity of teams that value spectacle, for better or worse. Palmeiras' victory, hard-fought and controversial, reinforced the narrative of Abel Ferreira's resilient and "hard-boiled" team. That's why we love this championship: each game is an episode in a multi-season series, and the results fuel the stories we tell on Monday.

Lowdown: The "Chaos of the Week" Trophy and the Blessing for the Coming Days

To close the account and draw a line under the table, let's look at our traditional weekly awards, which honor the great protagonists (and antagonists) of the round:

• "Chaos of the Week" Trophy: With praise and unanimous approval, it goes to the Corinthians board . They managed the feat of having an impeachment vote on Saturday and still need to get the team playing on Monday. A lesson in crisis management... or just crisis management.

• "Steamroller" Award: For Botafogo , who arrived in Ceará with the delicacy of a herd of elephants and transformed Castelão into their private playground.

• "Electrocardiogram" Award: A tribute to the Bahia vs. Fluminense game . If your cardiologist was on call Saturday night, thank them.

And so we say goodbye. It was an intense, chaotic week, and therefore completely normal in the world of Brazilian football. May the football gods protect us from sanity and bless us with another dose of madness in the next round.

See you next time, if we survive.