Overview
- The professional squad stopped work over unpaid salaries, a strike that became public the week of Aug. 26 and that players say includes arrears of up to six months.
- To avoid a W.O. in the Série B fixture, the club named an almost entirely youth roster and travelled with 16–17 players so it could fulfil the matchday requirement.
- The youth-filled Ponte Preta lost 2–0 to América‑MG on Sunday, with goals from Willian Bigode and Rodrigo Piñeiro, extending the club's winless run to 19 games and leaving it bottom of the table with 10 points.
- Several loanees — including Sergio Palacios, Lucas Cunha, David da Hora and Brandão — refused to break the strike and declined to play in solidarity, deepening the squad shortage.
- The club faces immediate sporting and administrative pressure because FIFA transfer bans block new registrations until debts are paid, increasing the risk of relegation and raising calls for structural change to resolve long‑running financial mismanagement.