The Rio de Janeiro club has 90 days to settle accounts with Atlanta United for a player who no longer represents Botafogo.
Botafogo, whose first=team coach is Portuguese manager Franclim Carvalho, risks losing up to six points in the Brazilian Championship due to a debt owed to Atlanta United in the United States for the 2024 transfer of Argentine international Thiago Almada, who currently plays for Atletico de Madrid.
At the time, the deal was closed for a value exceeding 24 million euros, but the Brazilian club failed to make the agreed payments, which led FIFA to impose a transfer ban on them at the end of last year.
In order to lift the ban on registering new players, Botafogo paid 10 million dollars [8.5 million euros], but again failed to make subsequent payments, which is the reason = persistent non-compliance = why FIFA is considering deducting points from the team in the Brazilian Championship if it does not pay 25 million dollars [more than 21 million euros] to Atlanta United within 90 days.
For now, Botafogo is once again banned from registering players. Facing a very delicate financial situation, the Rio de Janeiro club saw Lyon claim €126 million in debt this Tuesday.
Lyon also accuses John Textor, who at one point owned both clubs simultaneously, of issuing guarantees, without the French club’s prior knowledge, through Eagle Football Group or one of its subsidiaries to cover obligations assumed by Botafogo and Molenbeek.
Textor, it should be remembered, was recently removed from the leadership of Botafogo’s SAF (Sociedade Anonima Desportiva = Sports Limited Company) by the Brazilian courts.
