FIFA has implemented a transfer ban on Brazilian club Botafogo, which could last for up to three transfer windows.
The ban will be lifted if Botafogo pays Atlanta United $22.5 million for the transfer of Argentine player Thiago Almada, which was due on December 26.
In February, a FIFA tribunal held Botafogo responsible for the $21 million transfer fee, plus $1.5 million in interest, after the initial two payments were not made.
Botafogo appealed this decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in October, but in December, they were informed that CAS had upheld FIFA’s ruling.
Additionally, sources suggest that Botafogo must pay an extra $9 million to Atlanta United based on Almada’s performance incentives and future transfer fees linked to his move to Atletico Madrid in Spain this summer.
Now 24, Almada scored 23 goals for Atlanta from 2022 to 2024 and was named the 2022 MLS Newcomer of the Year.
He has signed a five-year contract with Botafogo and will start playing for the club in 2024. Almada has been loaned to Lyon in France for the first half of 2025. Both Botafogo and Lyon are owned by Eagle Football Holdings.
Almada is part of the Argentina national team and participated in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Botafogo claimed the Serie A title and the Copa Libertadores in 2024 but finished sixth in Serie A in 2025.
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