There’s another twist in the long-running Thiago Almada transfer fee saga.
According to respected Brazilian outlet Globo, Botafogo could be at risk of a six-point deduction in the country’s first division if it doesn’t meet a mid-August deadline to pay Atlanta United the remainder of what they’re owed from Almada’s US$21 million transfer in July 2024. Botafogo was handed yet another transfer ban on May 11 as a result.
Botafogo and Atlanta had previously reached a settlement in February for the remaining fees. Per Globo, while Botafogo paid US$10 million at that point, it “delayed and failed to pay the second installment of the agreement.”
Shockingly, that’s not the only hot water Botafogo is in, as it has been placed under two other transfer bans.
In 2025, Botafogo purchased Rwan Cruz from Bulgarian top-flight club Ludogorets Razgrad before loaning him to Real Salt Lake and back to Ludogorets, where he is today. Ludogorets is still owed money from the initial transfer. Also in 2025, Botafogo purchased Santiago Rodriguez from NYCFC but “failed to pay the installments of the $5 million agreement,” Globo says.
This comes as Botafogo’s owner, John Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings, is facing a judicial reorganization process as the club finds itself in major financial trouble. Eagle is looking to have that process suspended, with legal documents calling the process a “hijacking of the company” that would leave Textor handcuffed.
Meanwhile, Olympique Lyonnais claims to be owed over US$145 million for what it calls “phantom transfers” initiated by Eagle in July 2024. Eagle has filed a lawsuit against the Ligue 1 outfit that states that it doesn’t owe the amount in question. Botafogo sold Luis Henrique, now at Inter Milan, and Igor Jesus, currently at Nottingham Forest, to Lyon during the time period in question.
Regardless of the outcome, this continues to paint Textor and Eagle Football in even worse light than they already have been.
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Seems the moral of the story is never again do business with Botafogo.
We are never getting the rest of the $.
Imagine being a handyman, walking into Home Depot, taking a circular saw off the shelf, walking out and using it in your day-to-day job all while telling the manager at the store “don’t worry, we’ll pay you…eventually” and then never doing it. The police would be called, you’d be arrested for theft, and the store [ideally] would get that used tool back.
How is this not similar in that Eagle just gets an injunction to not play until their debts are paid?
I feel like Botafogo/Eagle will just keep doing just enough to kick the can down the road and eventualy get out of pay the full amount. Just give all of Eagle teams a straight up death sentence and just outright demote all the teams.
Give us Medina and we’ll call it even