Brazilian FA (CBF) President Ednaldo Rodrigues attends a soccer team's training session at the stadium in Tangier, Morocco March 24, 2023. REUTERS/Abdelhak Balhaki/File Photo
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) Ednaldo Rodrigues was removed from his post on Thursday by a Rio de Janeiro court, said the State Court of Justice.
The court annulled an assembly of the organisation held in 2022 in which Rodrigues was elected to lead the CBF until 2026, and named the president of the Superior Court of Sports Justice Jose Perdiz as interim head.
Perdiz will be responsible for organising a new election within 30 days, according to the court decision.
The CBF confirmed through a spokesperson that they are aware of the court decision and are analysing appropriate measures.
The ruling comes in response to a request from former CBF vice-presidents who lost their posts under an agreement signed in 2022 by the CBF with the Public Prosecutor's Office over the electoral process.
In Thursday's decision, the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice ruled that the Conduct Agreement signed between the Public Prosecutor's Office and the CBF was illegal.
The court's intervention in the CBF's management could result in sanctions from world football's governing body FIFA.
"FIFA has been made aware that an agreement concluded between CBF and the Public Attorney’s office of Rio de Janeiro may now apparently be at risk of being cancelled or amended by local courts," FIFA said in a statement.
"We understand that a possible cancellation of or modification to such agreement could impact on the outcome of the elections of the CBF Executive Board, which took place on 23 March 2022.
"We would like to remind CBF that FIFA member associations are obliged to manage their affairs independently and without undue influence from third parties, including any state authorities.
"Any breach of such obligation may lead to potential sanctions as provided for in the FIFA Statutes," the global body added.
(Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier, writing by Janina Nuno Rios; Editing by Pedro Fonseca and Christian Radnedge)
