Corinthians Face 30 Labour Claims Over Former Esports Arm
Brazilian club Corinthians has been named in 30 labour lawsuits linked to its defunct esports division, and courts have already held the club liable alongside the licensee in 10 of the 13 cases that have reached a decision, according to a review of regional labour court records by Brazilian outlet ge.globo.
The cases are worth more than R$2.8 million in total, and the final bill is still to be calculated.
The case is a cautionary tale for any club that licenses its name to an esports operator, a market that sits close to the betting and sponsorship world covered on our betting sites pages.
Corinthians say the esports operation was run by a licensee, CDS E-Sports e Entretenimento, which took on hiring, pay and labour costs.
Courts have so far reasoned that the club benefited from the work and therefore shares responsibility when the licensee fails to pay. ge.globo's report was published on October 26.
How The Cases Break Down
ge.globo found 30 labour actions against CDS and Corinthians in the regional labour courts (TRTs).
Of those, seven have produced first-instance convictions and six second-instance rulings, while 17 have no verdict yet. Corinthians was convicted alongside CDS in 10 of the 13 decided cases, and the three acquittals all came at first instance.
Most claims are modest by football standards. Case values mostly range from R$30,000 to R$100,000, with seven larger ones.
The largest is a claim for R$460,257.32 from a former esports coordinator, who sued CDS, Corinthians, two former heads of the division, and companies linked to them.
She won part of her case at first instance, with an award of about R$200,000 to be paid by all defendants, though the final amount will be calculated later with interest and inflation.
The main requests across the cases are recognition of an employment relationship and payment of overdue wages. Judges can uphold all, some or none of those requests, so the R$2.8 million figure is the size of the claims, not a settled sum.
Why The Club Is Paying
The pattern is visible in two examples. In one case, a calculation filed in the course of provisional enforcement set a former player's award at R$85,455.74.
CDS did not pay, and no assets were found to freeze, so collection was redirected to Corinthians.
In another, a former player's settlement of R$58,000 was paid by CDS in instalments, with only R$20,500 paid, leaving Corinthians to cover R$42,900 in corrected amounts.
An appeals court judge in one of the second-instance rulings wrote that CDS had plainly failed its labour duties and that a club which hires an unreliable contractor must bear the risk of that choice.
Lawyers acting for former esports staff say licensors have a duty to check a licensee's finances and demand proof that wages are being paid.
The Club's Position
Corinthians say they signed brand-licensing and commercial partnership contracts with CDS in July 2022, under which CDS took over running the teams, paying players and covering labour charges, and agreed to keep the club free of those liabilities and reimburse any convictions.
The club ended the contract in September 2025 after complaints about irregularities, administrative problems, late salaries, and no longer has an esports team.
In a statement to ge.globo, the club said it has already sent CDS a formal demand for R$439,700 and that the convictions do not release the company from responsibility or remove the club's right to claim full reimbursement.
It called it particularly serious that its brand and credibility were being tied to a business whose administrative, financial and labour management had been handed to third parties. ge.globo said it could not reach Milson Januário, CDS's last administrator, for comment.
