A court in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday ordered the removal of Brazilian football federation president Ednaldo Rodrigues, citing irregularities in his employment agreement.
Rodrigues had previously been temporarily suspended in 2023 after a court found faults in the 2022 election that brought him to office. However, he was later reinstated by order of a Supreme Court judge after FIFA warned Brazil could face sanctions.
The latest ruling declared Rodrigues’s employment contract with the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) “null and void”.
FIFA and the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) had rejected Rodrigues’s earlier dismissal, cautioning the CBF that external interference could result in Brazil being banned from international competitions.
Rodrigues had been leading talks to appoint Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti as Brazil’s coach—negotiations which ultimately failed at the time.
Ancelotti has only just been named Brazil manager this week, replacing Zinedine Zidane.
Rodrigues was unanimously re-elected in March 2025 for a new term running until 2030.
However, the Rio court said one of the individuals who signed Rodrigues’s contract for the 2025 term had been mentally unfit, raising the possibility of forgery.
Speaking at a FIFA meeting in Asunción on Thursday, ahead of the verdict, Rodrigues told reporters he had “absolute certainty” the document in question was valid.