One of FIFAThe club’s responsibilities are to resolve disputes between clubs, usually related to player transfers. Such a case between a Major League Football team and one Brazilian Serie A club involved Argentina midfielder Thiago Almada and ended with a severe sanction.
In July 2024, Almada left MLS to continue his career in Brazil, in a deal between Atlanta United And Botafogo including installment payments in total $21 million, plus another $9 million linked to achieving certain sporting objectives.
The transfer did not go unnoticed, as it broke the record for the most expensive sale in Major League Soccer historyas well as the mmost expensive purchase ever in the Brazilian league. It also yielded immediate results: after six months, the Argentinian midfielder won both the Brazilian Serie A title and the Copa Libertadoreswith three goals in 26 appearances.
However, relations between the clubs quickly deteriorated. According to AS Newspaper, after payment of the first two installments agreed upon the transfer, Botafogo stopped paying. This led to claims from Atlanta United, which followed the proper administrative channels until a final decision was made.
Almada won the 2024 Copa Libertadores with Botafogo.
This week, FIFA announced via his Registration ban platform the sanction imposed on Botafogo for failure to complete the payment for the transfer of Thiago Almada to Atlanta United: the Brazilian team will not be allowed to register any new players for the next three transfer windows.
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Thiago Almada was already far removed from the dispute
Although the conflict arose around the transfer of Thiago Almada, the… FIFA World Cup 2022 winner Argentina has long since departed from the clubs involved in the controversy.
After those successes at Botafogo, the midfielder left Brazil after just six months to start his European football career. His first stop was Olympique Lyonnaisa French club owned by the same company as Botafogo, Eagle Football Holdings, in a six-month loan deal.
His appearances in League 1 and his growing importance with the Argentina national team gave Thiago Almada the opportunity to take the biggest step of his professional career as he was bought by Atletico Madrid last summer for about $40 million. He is now fighting to establish himself The League and secure his place with Argentina for the World Cup 2026.
FIFA’s sanctions can be overturned
The sanction imposed by FIFA on Botafogo for failing to complete the payment for the purchase of Thiago Almada from Atlanta United is a type of punishment widely used in the world of football. In fact, just a few weeks ago, Christian Ronaldo’s Al Nassr faced a similar situation.
However, the Saudi Pro League club was able to solve the problem and avoid a transfer ban by meeting FIFA’s demands. Botafogo could potentially follow a similar path and turn around a situation that would otherwise be extremely damaging to the club’s future.
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