Chief Soccer Officer & Sporting Director, FC Dallas
Andre Zanotta is the Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director of FC Dallas, one of Major League Soccer’s founding clubs. He joined the organization in January 2019 and is in his eighth season with the club in 2026.
In his role, Zanotta oversees all aspects of soccer operations, including roster
construction, player acquisitions, staff hiring, and contract negotiations. During his tenure, he has played a key role in developing and transferring talent to international markets, facilitating moves for players such as Carlos Gruezo, Bryan Reynolds, and Ricardo Pepi to European clubs, as well as Lucho Acosta and Alan Velasco to South America.
Prior to joining FC Dallas, Zanotta served as executive director of Brazilian top-division club Grêmio, where he contributed to a highly successful period that included winning the 2017 Copa Libertadores, the 2018 Recopa Sudamericana, and the 2018 Campeonato Gaúcho. The club also finished as runner-up in the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup.
Earlier in his career, Zanotta was Sporting Director at Santos FC from 2012 to 2015 and at Sport Recife in 2016. A trained lawyer, he began his career in sports through work on player training contracts with the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) and various clubs.
Zanotta has continued to invest in his professional development, earning the FIFA
Diploma in Club Management in 2024 and completing the prestigious FIFA Master
program in 2010, where he received an MBA in Management, Law, and Humanities of Sport.
