Botafogo was defeated in the dispute brought by Atlanta United, from MLS, in FIFA, and will need to pay 21 million dollars (around R$ 114 million, at current prices) to the North American club for the purchase of midfielder Thiago Almada. The information is from “GE”.
The United States team contacted football’s highest authority in November 2024, four months after the Argentine was acquired by Alvinegro. If the amount is not paid, the Rio team may suffer a transfer banbeing prevented from registering new athletes.
The punishment is due to non-compliance with the first two installments provided for in the agreement, which should have been paid in July and September of last year. None of them were paid off. Almada played for the club between August and December 2024, a period in which he won the Libertadores and Brasileirão, and was then transferred to Lyon, part of John Textor’s multi-club group, before moving on to Atlético de Madrid.
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What did Botafogo justify about non-payment?
According to the Rio club, when the agreement was closed in June 2024, it was stipulated that the 21 million dollars would be paid over four years, in installments. However, the document sent by Atlanta to FIFA points out that all installments should be paid by June 30, 2026.
During negotiations, an impasse almost made the transaction unfeasible. Atlanta United demanded that Almada give up the 10% he was entitled to by law in MLS — a mandatory percentage for the athlete in negotiations in the league. Even with the agreement practically finalized, the player’s lawyers rejected the clause.
To make the contract viable, it was decided that Eagle would pay the 2.1 million dollars related to the athlete’s “credit” and would later seek reimbursement from the MLS.
One of the points raised by the black and white legal department is precisely that there is a debt owed by Atlanta/MLS to Botafogo, but that it is being discussed elsewhere.
See note from Botafogo
“Botafogo, represented by the law firm Bichara e Motta Advogados, received this Tuesday (09/12) the arbitration decision handed down by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which condemns the Club to pay the entire amount involved in the transfer of player Thiago Almada, to Atlanta United, from the United States.
Maintaining its commitment to transparency with its fans, the Club informs that it will continue to adopt all applicable legal measures in the case.
It is worth noting that John Textor, majority shareholder of SAF Botafogo, presented financing proposals to the other partners of Eagle Football Holdings to cover the payment of all Botafogo’s existing outstanding issues with FIFA, as well as the budget for player signings in the January transfer window and for the remainder of the 2026 season. Textor has fully guaranteed resources for these items and hopes to obtain the cooperation and approval of these budgets from a friendly and friendly Eagle board. cooperative.”
