After banning bets, Lula’s campaign talks to fans while ministers work on Caixa deal for Corinthians

Brazil’s presidential re-election campaign is now talking about “dialogue” with football supporters just two weeks after Provisional Measure No. 1.394/2026 pushed betting brands off shirts, stadiums, and broadcasts. At the same time, federal ministers are reportedly helping line up a Caixa Econômica Federal sponsorship package for Corinthians, which would replace the club’s lost master sponsor and tie in shirt branding, stadium naming rights, and an instant lottery.

1. Felipe Camarão, the vice governor of Maranhão, proposed broadening the campaign’s conversation with football fans about bets at a Monday (5) meeting in Brasília. On X, he said football “is a passion of millions and requires attention in this debate.”
2. According to O Estado de S. Paulo, campaign communications are now being coordinated by Piauí governor Rafael Fonteles, working alongside the team of minister Sidônio Palmeira.
3. The push for “dialogue” comes after clubs have already started responding on the pitch. In the 29th round of the Brazilian league, played on Wednesday (7) and Thursday (8), advertising boards at nine matches carried messages against the betting ban, in an initiative organized by the Associação Nacional de Jogos e Loterias (ANJL) and the Instituto Brasileiro de Jogo Responsável (IBJR).
4. Flamengo was first to move the protest onto the shirt. Against Santos on Thursday (8), it displayed “Proibir não é proteger” in the space previously occupied by Betano. On Sunday (11), at 17:30 at Maracanã, Fluminense is set to join the action; club president Mattheus Montenegro said Superbet and Betano aligned on the move.
5. Other clubs took a different route. São Paulo and Fluminense replaced the Superbet mark with Superscore, a free sports statistics platform from the same corporate group. At São Paulo, the switch debuted against Cruzeiro on Wednesday (7); at Fluminense, against Coritiba on Thursday (8).
6. In parallel, Flamengo and Fluminense are among the clubs that asked the Supreme Federal Court (STF) to act as amicus curiae in the challenge to suspend the MP. The rapporteur, Justice Luiz Fux, has not yet ruled.
7. While the campaign talks about listening to fans, the government is moving in favor of one specific club. According to columnist Igor Gadelha at Metrópoles, ministers Alexandre Padilha (Health) and Guilherme Boulos (Secretaria-Geral) are coordinating a Caixa Economica Federal sponsorship for Corinthians, the club supported by Lula and both ministers.
8. The package under discussion includes the bank’s logo on the shirt, stadium naming rights in exchange for paying off part of the club’s roughly R$ 630 million debt, and the creation of a club-linked instant lottery with Caixa. Corinthians’ press office said the negotiation is “well advanced” and has already reached the bank’s board. This week, the club signed an agreement that l