Marconi Perillo, national president of the PSDB, is involved in a dispute in São Paulo, where the Jockey Club faces tensions with the management of Ricardo Nunes (MDB).
Marconi Perillo, who provides consultancy services for Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN), a company owned by businessman Benjamin Steinbruch, also president of Jockey.
According to Folha, Perillo has been working behind the scenes to try to influence political decisions related to the racetrack.
Marconi Perillo lobbies against City Council project
The situation is worsened by the discussion about a project in the City Council that prohibits the use of animals in sporting activities with the issuance of bets, which could make the operation of the Jockey unfeasible. But as Marconi Perillo is a club advisor, he is lobbying to disapprove the project.
Councilor Xexéu Trípoli, also a tucano, is the author of the project that prohibits the practice. On the other hand, Milton Leite (União Brasil), president of the City Council and ally of Nunes, is one of the defenders of the project’s approval.
Thus, Leite argues that São Paulo no longer supports horse racing and that it is necessary to end animal suffering.
Furthermore, the Jockey space in Cidade Jardim (west zone of São Paulo) is the subject of dispute. But the City Council approved projects for expropriation and creation of a park on the site, which is also coveted by the real estate market.
Meanwhile, the PSDB, a party led by Marconi Perillo, discusses its position in the 2024 election in São Paulo. Nunes seeks the support of the tucanos and tries to prevent the party from forming an alliance with Tabata Amaral (PSDB) or launching its own name.
Marconi Perillo, in turn, has spoken with former president Michel Temer (MDB), Nunes’ electoral leader, but denies having discussed the issue of political support.
In a note published in Folha, Marconi Perillo rejects the idea of conflict of interests and states that his professional activities are not linked to political or party activities.
Nunes, in turn, says he is not under pressure from Marconi Perillo and highlights the PSDB’s representation against the left in São Paulo.
Therefore, the situation remains undefined, with political and economic interests at stake. Meanwhile, the future of the Jockey Club and horse racing in São Paulo remains uncertain.
