Marcelo Teixeira’s term is winding down. The vultures are circling. Santos FC is never quiet, but the backstage political theater is reaching a fever pitch as the year-end election looms. It is the usual circus, complete with backstabbing, fragile alliances, and desperate power grabs.
First, the suits tried to rig the game. The statute committee wanted to lock out outsiders by requiring candidates to have served two terms on the board. Classic gatekeeping. The fans lost their minds. After some loud protests and a healthy dose of public outrage, the Deliberative Council folded like a cheap tent. They kept the old rule. Want to run? Just pay your dues for ten uninterrupted years. It was a rare win for the terraces.
The board is set. Three main factions are sharpening their knives. First, there is Teixeira himself. He is playing dumb. Will he run? Will he back a puppet? Nobody knows. He loves the suspense. In 2023, the man waited until a mere 23 days before the vote to announce his candidacy. It is a calculated silence, designed to keep his rivals guessing while he pulls the strings from the shadows.
Then comes the opposition. Ivan Luduvice, a lawyer who tasted defeat in 2023, is already throwing punches on social media. He wants the throne. Meanwhile, the runners-up have realized they are stronger together. Maurício Maruca and Rodrigo Marino, who pulled a combined 2,451 votes last time, have formed an alliance. They claim to have a grand financial plan to rebuild the club from its ashes. Talk is cheap.
When does the circus actually happen? That is another mess. Traditionally, Santos votes in mid-December. But a proposed statute change wants to drag the vote forward to October. To make that happen this year, they need to approve the rest of the statute, get the general assembly to sign off, and then have the board vote on whether this applies now or in 2029. It is a bureaucratic nightmare. Typical Santos. Expect delays.
