# Santa Cruz football club restructuring > Developing situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/santa-cruz-football-club-restructuring > Updated: 2026-10-30T20:04:46.000Z. Sources: 10. Developments: 2. Santa Cruz has initiated several organizational changes ahead of the 2027 season. The club first hired Raphael Rezende as a scouting consultant to modernize market intelligence and athlete evaluation processes, drawing on his previous experience at Botafogo. Following this, the club appointed Zé Ricardo as head coach for the 2027 season. Ricardo, who has managed several major Brazilian clubs, is tasked with leading the team during its return to the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B. The club plans to begin pre-season training in December to prepare for the upcoming Campeonato Pernambucano. ## Claims - Santa Cruz announced Zé Ricardo as the new head coach for the 2027 season. (reported by 4 sources) - Zé Ricardo is 55 years old. (reported by 3 sources) - The club will compete in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B in 2027. (reported by 3 sources) - Zé Ricardo previously managed Sporting Cristal in Peru. (reported by 3 sources) - Zé Ricardo replaced Cristian de Souza as head coach. (reported by 2 sources) - Pre-season is scheduled to begin on December 6. (reported by 1 source) ## Timeline ### 2026-10-30: Santa Cruz appoints Zé Ricardo as head coach for 2027 season Santa Cruz has hired 55-year-old coach Zé Ricardo to lead the club during its 2027 return to the Brazilian Série B. 6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/santa-cruz-appoints-z-ricardo-as-head-coach-for-2027-season ### 2026-10-23: Santa Cruz hires Raphael Rezende as scouting consultant Santa Cruz has appointed former Botafogo head scout Raphael Rezende as a consultant to restructure its scouting and market analysis departments for the 2027 season. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/santa-cruz-hires-raphael-rezende-as-scouting-consultant --- Cite as: Santa Cruz football club restructuring. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/santa-cruz-football-club-restructuring