"Brazilian club Botafogo will begin a three-window transfer ban imposed by FIFA on Dec. 31 after failing to pay Atlanta United FC a $21 million fee for striker Thiago Almada in the summer of 2024. Almada, 24, played for Botafogo across 17 games in the second half of 2024, then joined Lyon in 2025 for the remainder of the Ligue 1 season, before moving to Atlético Madrid in the summer of 2025."
"Atlanta maintains that it never received any of the fee -- or subsequent interest -- that Botafogo agreed to, before the Brazilian club reached a deal with Atleti for Almada worth between $20 million and $30 million. In October, Botafogo, owned by American businessman John Textor, went to sport's highest court Wednesday to dispute the fee owed to Atlanta, challenging FIFA's order that it must pay the full amount for Almada after the first two installments went unpaid in 2024."
Botafogo faces a three-window transfer ban starting Dec. 31 for failing to pay a $21 million fee to Atlanta United for Thiago Almada. Almada played 17 games for Botafogo in late 2024, moved to Lyon in 2025, then transferred to Atlético Madrid that summer. Atlanta asserts it never received any of the agreed fee or subsequent interest, despite a later Atleti deal reportedly worth $20–$30 million. FIFA ordered payment after two missed $3 million installments in July and September 2024; missed payments prompted default notices and a failed appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Read at ESPN.com
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