El Glorioso was defeated by the American team after a lawsuit was filed with FIFA for non-payment of the purchase of Thiago Almada.
Advertisement
And he has already issued an official statement (see below).
The Argentine attacking midfielder arrived at the Rio club in July of last year for a fixed amount of 22 million dollars.
He played 26 games, won the Brazilian championship and the Libertadores before being loaned to Lyon until 2025 and then negotiated with Atlético de Madrid for 21 million euros in July this year.
Atlanta filed this lawsuit back in November 2024 after not receiving the first two installments of the negotiation – which should have been paid in July and September -.
In the initial decision, FIFA demanded full payment. Botafogo appealed, arguing that it should only pay the first installments, which amount to $6 million.
Advertisement
The hearing on the matter, held online at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), took place in October. And the decision was formalized this Tuesday (9).
See statement from Botafogo
OFFICIAL STATEMENT
Botafogo, represented by the law firm Bichara e Motta Advogados, received on Tuesday (09/12) the arbitration decision issued by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which confirmed FIFA’s understanding that the Club must pay the entire amount involved in the transfer of the player Thiago Almada to Atlanta United, of the United States.
Maintaining its commitment to transparency with its fans, the Club informs that it will continue to take all applicable legal measures in the case.
Advertisement
It should be noted that John Textor, majority shareholder of SAF Botafogo, has submitted financing proposals to the other partners of Eagle Football Holdings to cover the payment of all of Botafogo’s existing debts to FIFA, as well as the budget for player transfers in the January transfer window and for the remainder of the 2026 season. Textor has secured all resources for these items and hopes to obtain the cooperation and approval of these budgets from a friendly and cooperative Eagle board.
SAF Botafogo
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
📸 Buddha Mendes – 2024 Getty Images