Club delayed part of the purchase of Gustavo Scarpa; If you do not pay, you will be prevented from registering players for up to 3 consecutive windows
The (Sports Court of Arbitration) denied the appeal presented by the court regarding the delay in paying one of the installments for the purchase of midfielder Gustavo Scarpa. With the final decision, detailed on Tuesday (April 28, 2026), the Belo Horizonte team will need to pay off a debt of approximately R$13 million with the athlete’s former club in England.
Payment is mandatory to avoid a severe administrative sanction imposed on defaulting football teams. The punishment, known in sports circles as transfer banis a tool used by FIFA (International Football Federation) to punish clubs that do not honor financial commitments in international transfers.
If the amount is not deposited within the deadlines stipulated by the Sports Court, Atlético Mineiro will be prevented from registering new reinforcements for up to 3 consecutive transfer windows. Aware of the legal and administrative risks, the Minas Gerais club’s board of directors informed that it has already signed a direct agreement with the English team on the form of payment to immediately regularize the situation.
Negotiations to repatriate Gustavo Scarpa originally took place in December 2023. At the time, the athletic management agreed to pay 5 million euros (around R$31 million at the time) to Nottingham Forest to acquire the player’s economic rights.
The contract established that the total amount would be divided into 3 annual installments. The first installment, worth 2 million euros, was normally paid by the Brazilian team in January 2024, shortly after the signing was announced.
LEGAL DISPUTE AND LEGAL DISPUTE
The financial problem arose in the 2nd installment, which was due on January 2, 2025. The total amount to be transferred to the English was R$1.5 million, but Atlético’s management only transferred R$1 million. The existence of this outstanding balance of 500 thousand euros led Nottingham Forest to activate FIFA’s legal mechanisms.
In July 2025, world football’s highest governing body ordered the Brazilian team to pay the remaining amount and accrued interest.
Without accepting the initial resolution, Atlético appealed to the CAS, the sport’s highest body based in Switzerland. During the defense, the club’s legal department claimed that there was a procedural error on the part of the English team when sending the billing invoice, which would have made payment within the correct deadline difficult. However, the decision handed down by the court rejected the arguments and maintained the mandatory discharge.
FINAL AMOUNT OF CONDEMNATION
With the defeat in the appeal, the amount of the debt was updated and consolidated. Atlético Mineiro was ordered to pay the 500,000 euros in arrears, plus 5% default interest. Furthermore, the Sports Court included in the decision the requirement to pay off the 3rd and final installment of the purchase – originally scheduled for the end of 2025 – also worth 1.5 million euros and incurring interest.
The final calculation of the claim included fees of US$25,000 for the costs of the arbitration process. When converting all amounts and charges into national currency, total liabilities approach the R$13 million mark. The regularization of this pending issue is treated as an absolute priority by Atlético’s SAF (Sociedade Anônima do Futebol) leadership, to ensure that market planning and the registration of new athletes are not interrupted in the next transfer windows of 2026.
