Brazil's ousted football president paves way for succession

According to a court document obtained by AFP, attorneys for the 71-year-old Rodrigues said he decided to withdraw the challenge "considering the delicate moment experienced by the Brazilian Football Confederation, due to the overlapping legal disputes that have jeopardized the stability of sports management."

After he was reelected as CBF president in March, a court in Rio de Janeiro last week ruled that a contract granting Rodrigues his post was null and void due to a "possible forgery" of a signature.

The document also states Rodrigues will not run for re-election.

His withdrawal paves the way for Samir Xaud, 41, to be the frontrunner in CBF elections called for May 25.

CBF announced Xuad's candidacy with support of 25 out of 27 regional federations, along with 10 clubs from the top two divisions of the Brazilian league.

Xuad, a doctor by training, has little experience in football management, though his father had been president of the federation for decades in Roraima, a small state in the north of Brazil.

The upheaval in Brazilian football management has cast a shadow over the imminent arrival of Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, the most successful coach in European Cup history, to lead Brazil's national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup.