Departures of note

José Maria Almeida de Santana, widely known as Zé Maria, was a Brazilian sports journalist, radio commentator, and football administrator from Ilhéus, Bahia. He served as president of Colo-Colo de Futebol e Regatas from 1992 to 2011, a period in which he guided the club from amateur football into professionalism, winning the Campeonato Baiano Série B in 1999 and the club's historic Campeonato Baiano title in 2006, breaking a decades-long dominance by the state's two capital clubs.

Beyond his club leadership, Zé Maria built a long career as a communicator, working as a sports commentator and radio broadcaster. He was one of the founders of the Southern Regional branch of the Associação Baiana de Imprensa (ABI), wrote columns for various regional newspapers, and created the Troféu Imprensa do Sul da Bahia. He remained active as a sports commentator on the Gabriela Esportiva program on Gabriela FM in Ilhéus until his death.

Zé Maria died of an acute myocardial infarction on 30 August 2026 in Ilhéus at the age of 72. The city of Ilhéus declared three days of official mourning in recognition of his contributions to local sport and culture.