GENEVA (AP) — South American champion BotafogoThe club, owned by American businessman John Texter, filed suit with sports’ highest court on Wednesday in a dispute over a $21 million unpaid transfer fee to Major League Soccer club Atlanta United.
Brazilian clubs are trying fifa orders that you have to pay the full amount Signs Argentina national team attacker Thiago AlmadaHe became the 2022 World Cup winner after the first two installments last year went unpaid.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced that Botafogo’s appeal against FIFA and Atlanta United was heard on Wednesday. No deadline was given for a verdict by the court in Lausanne, Switzerland.
In its verdict on the judge’s decision, published by FIFA, Botafogo said that when the Rio de Janeiro club complied with MLS’s initial payment request on Atlanta’s behalf, Botafogo had asked for “further time to ‘resolve the matter'”.
Almada is a 24-year-old attacker who played one game off the bench for Argentina at the 2022 World Cup.
he Currently playing for Atletico Madridin July, becoming his fourth different club in less than 13 months, including two owned by Texter.
Almada was a designated player for Atlanta when MLS oversaw a league-record $21 million transfer to Botafogo last June, according to FIFA documents.
After playing for Argentina at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Almada moved to Brazil where he helped Botafogo win the prestigious Copa Libertadores continental title.
According to FIFA’s ruling, Botafogo was scheduled to pay Atlanta $3 million in July and September last year for a full settlement through September 2026. The first two payments were missed and MLS sent Texter’s club a notice of default.
FIFA judges said in their ruling that $6 million “remained in fact unpaid” in February, and imposed a heavier fine on Botafogo, citing “past sanctions” from the world football body.
“In this context, the single judge emphasized that repeated violations aggravate the situation and lead to more severe penalties,” FIFA announced, imposing a $150,000 fine and $25,000 in legal costs on Botafogo.
FIFA also set a 45-day deadline for Texter’s clubs to repay their debts or be prohibited from registering new players. Sanctions await the outcome of the CAS appeal.
Loan to Textor’s Lyon
In January, a few weeks after Botafogo won against the Libertadores, Almada was loaned to Lyon (Texitor’s club in France) for the remainder of the season.
Lyon played on the brink of relegation from Ligue 1 for the following reasons: unstable finances They finished in 6th place and qualified for this season’s Europa League.
As a result, English Cup winners Crystal Palace, of which Texter was a minority owner last season, have been relegated to the Third Division Conference League due to UEFA’s integrity rules regarding club ownership. Palace failed in appeal at CAS To reverse that demotion.
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