“People think women are the weaker sex, and we’re not. I fight back. If they hit me, I hit back – but much harder. The way I hit back is by continuing to work and by showcasing Palmeiras’s work.”
Leila Pereira is in full flow as she sits in the Palmeiras president’s office in São Paulo. In the 110-year history of a club founded by Italian working-class immigrants, she is the first woman to hold the post. The male dominance of global football is laid bare once again when you look at the lineup for the revamped men’sClub World Cupin the United States: of the 32 participating clubs, representing six continents, Pereira is the only female president.
“It brings two emotions,” she says. “On one hand, I’m thrilled. On the other, I wish there were more women in football. My joy and my hope are that by seeing me in this position, other women are inspired to pursue their own space in football. This didn’t fall into my lap. It took years and I had to overcome many challenges to get here. It’s no use calling someone an inspiration if you’re not prepared to roll up your sleeves and fight for what you want.”
Since being elected president in December 2021, Pereira has emerged as one of the most influential figures in Brazilian football – a world still fraught with political manoeuvring behind the scenes. Her reach extends well beyond Palmeiras. Last year she became the first woman to lead the Brazil men’s national team delegation, during their European friendlies against Spain and England – a role appointed directly by the Brazilian football confederation’s president. While largely symbolic, the appointment underscored her rising influence within the game and in the notoriously political Brazilian confederation.
She has never been afraid to show a firm hand – even when it involves a Palmeiras hero. In June last year, Dudu, the club’s joint-most decorated player with 12 titles, sought a move to Cruzeiro after struggling for game time following a lengthy recovery from a cruciate ligament injury. Having agreed terms, he then reversed his decision, prompting Pereira to publicly call on him to “honour his commitment” to the Belo Horizonte club. Although Dudu stayed until December, the situation soured. It culminated in what Pereira described as a departure “through the back door”. Dudu responded on Instagram with abuse.
Pereira feels he would not have responded in the same way to a man. “Why do you think he acted that way? No doubt, because I’m a woman. He felt free to be rude.” She has filed a lawsuit against him seeking “no less than R$500,000 [£67,000]” in damages. Within five months, Dudu had joined Cruzeiro’s rivals Atlético Mineiro, citing a lack of playing time.
A billionaire businesswoman, Pereira was ranked fourth in Forbes’ 2023 list of the richest women in Brazil, with a fortune then estimated at R$8bn. But her wealth wasn’t made in football. Until 2015, her main focus was chairing a financial company specialising in high-interest personal loans to mainly lower-income individuals, founded by her husband, Roberto Lamacchia, and serving as rector of a university centre also owned by the couple.
Born in Cambuci, Rio de Janeiro, Pereira was raised in Cabo Frio, another municipality in the same state, by her father, a doctor, and her mother, a housewife. The middle child between two brothers, she had little interest in football, despite growing up in a family of diehard Vasco da Gama fans. While her brothers went for kickabouts, she played with dolls.
Palmeiras entered her life at 18, when she met her future husband. At the time, she was studying journalism at a university in Rio de Janeiro. After two years working as a trainee at TV Manchete, she decided to switch paths and study law. “I always had this strong desire to be independent,” she says. “And that’s why everything I do today is rooted in this personal drive. I’ve always had this feminist streak, even before I knew what feminism really meant.”
Her rapid rise to the top of Palmeiras’s hierarchy has drawn scrutiny. Her professional relationship with the club began in January 2015, when Palmeiras were short on cash, without a permanent shirt sponsor and having narrowly avoided relegation on the final day of the previous season. She suggested her husband’s company should sponsor the club he loves as a way to lift his spirits after a period of ill health. And that is what happened.
Over a decade-long partnership, Palmeiras rose to the summit of Brazilian football as the dominant team, winning 14 major titles, including back-to-back Copa Libertadores four league championships and two Brazilian Cups. This golden era spanned three club presidents: Paulo Nobre, Maurício Galiotte and Pereira herself.
Her tenure as both club president and principal sponsor between 2021 and 2024, however, was not without controversy, with critics raising concerns over potential conflicts of interest – allegations she firmly denies. Since January, her company has stepped away from its sponsorship role, with the club now backed by a different company.
Her current term runs until 2027 and Palmeiras are in far better shape than many of their rivals. Last year, the club posted record revenues of R$1.2bn, over a third of which came from selling academy-developed talent.
A decade ago, Palmeiras’s youth system was largely unremarkable. Now it leads the field. Gabriel Jesus paved the way, with a £27m move to Manchester City, followed by Endrick’s £61m transfer to Real Madrid. Danilo joined Nottingham Forest for £18m, Luis Guilherme went to West Ham for £25.5m, Vitor Reis was sold to City this January for £29.6m – a record for a Brazilian centre-back – and Estêvão is bound for Chelsea in a deal worth up to £53m.
That stream of income has allowed Palmeiras to flex their financial muscle. In February, they signed the striker Vitor Roque – then on loan at Real Betis from Barcelona – for £21.7m, making him the most expensive signing in Brazilian club history.
“I have no doubt that Palmeiras are the best-run and most credible club in South America,” Pereira says. “But of course, that level of excellence isn’t down to me alone, it’s thanks to the incredible professionals we have. No one achieves anything by themselves.” She adds, with evident pride: “European giants now trust us to do business. Today, we’re a global reference. And it’s a woman at the helm.”
She says: “Palmeiras are one of the few clubs in Brazil that meet all their financial obligations on time – staff, players, transfer fees. That’s non-negotiable for me. I come from a business background and football will not tarnish my name. I want to walk into our training ground and hold people accountable without owing them anything. It’s absurd that some [Brazilian] clubs can’t pay wages yet keep signing players. That’s why I advocate for financial fair play in Brazil.”
At the Club World Cup, Chelsea supporters will get a closer look at Estêvão. Widely seen as the most electrifying export since Neymar first lit up the late 2000s, it will be the 18-year-old prospect’s last dance in green and white before making the move to Stamford Bridge. “He’s a phenomenal player and I understand why my husband didn’t want to let him go. This boy will one day be the best in the world. He’s that good and will always be one of our academy’s own. Just like Endrick, Vitor Reis, Luis Guilherme … ”
While Pereira has maintained the philosophy laid down by her predecessors, it is Abel Ferreira who has shaped the club’s golden era on the pitch. The Portuguese coach is both the most successful and the longest-serving manager in Palmeiras’s history. Appointed by Pereira’s predecessor, he has won 10 trophies in just over four years, an extraordinary feat in a country where managerial turnover is common.
A former Sporting full-back who began his coaching career in the club’s youth ranks before spells at Braga and Paok, Ferreira will lead Palmeiras into their opening Group A match against Porto at MetLife Stadium in New York on Sunday. They will then face Al Ahly on Thursday, before rounding out the group stage against Inter Miami in Florida on 24 June.
“The Club World Cup is a major challenge, and we’re excited about it. Just because some clubs are European giants doesn’t mean we can’t compete. After all, it’s our players who get signed by those clubs.”
Whatever the outcome on the pitch, Palmeiras arrive in the US not only as a dominant force in South American football, but as a club reshaped by modern management, and fronted by a woman who has refused to be defined by it. She is outnumbered by men, but not outpowered.