Overview
- FIFA posted the penalty on its Registration Ban list, with the restriction taking effect on December 31, 2025.
- Atlanta United’s complaint said Botafogo failed to pay $21 million for Thiago Almada, and MLS issued default notices after missed $3 million installments in July and September 2024.
- Botafogo appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in October 2025, but CAS upheld FIFA’s order to pay.
- The club said negotiations with Atlanta United are ongoing but paused for the holidays, expressing hope to resolve the matter before or at the start of the January window.
- Almada moved from Atlanta to Botafogo in 2024, was loaned to Lyon in January 2025, and transferred to Atlético Madrid in the summer, with Botafogo and Lyon both linked to owner John Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings.