Brazilian football icon Ronaldo has officially withdrawn from the contest to assume the presidency of the nation’s football association subsequent to encountering “closed doors” regarding his candidacy.
The 48-year-old, who has achieved 98 international caps, intended to mount a challenge against Ednaldo Rodrigues, the current president of the Confederation of Brazilian Football (CBF).
Rodrigues’ tenure is set to continue until March 2026, with presidential elections mandated to occur within the forthcoming 12 months.
Ronaldo had committed to “restoring the prestige” of the national team upon the announcement of his initial aspiration to contest for the presidency.
Brazil, having attained the distinction of being record five-time champions of the World Cup, last secured the title in 2002 and reached the semi-finals in 2014.
Nonetheless, the former striker for Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid has opted to retract his candidacy due to the prevailing support for the incumbent president among the majority of Brazil’s regional federations.
“On my first contact with the 27 regional federations, I found 23 closed doors,” Ronaldo said in a statement published on his social media channels.
“The federations refused to receive me in their homes, on the grounds of their satisfaction with the current administration and support for [Rodrigues’] re-election.”
Brazil’s 27 regional federations are allocated three votes each, while the 20 top-flight clubs in Brazil’s Serie A are given two votes each and the 20 second-tier Serie B sides, one vote each.
Ronaldo said he “respected” the right of federation leaders to maintain their support for Rodrigues, but was disappointed there was “no openness to dialogue”.
“The statute gives the federations the strongest vote, so it’s clear that there’s no way I can run,” he added.
“I was unable to present my project, put forward my ideas and listen to them as I would have liked.”
