Atlanta United Will Be Paid in Full: Club Prevails Against Botafogo

In an official statement, Atlanta United confirmed it has reached a settlement with Botafogo after prevailing in both the FIFA Tribunal and the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

This was a legal victory upheld at the highest levels of world football, and it ends with the club receiving the full transfer fee, plus interest, for Thiago Almada’s 2024 move to Botafogo.

“We have reached a settlement with Botafogo regarding the 2024 transfer of Thiago Almada,” the club said. “Atlanta United prevailed in both the FIFA Tribunal and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which upheld the agreed terms of the 2024 Transfer Agreement.”

That matters. CAS did not rewrite the deal. It upheld it in full. When Botafogo failed to meet the deadline set by the court, FIFA enforced consequences.

“The final decision of CAS set a deadline of December 2025 for the total amount outstanding under the 2024 Transfer Agreement. When that deadline passed without payment, FIFA imposed a transfer ban on Botafogo.”

Atlanta United’s conclusion is the one supporters needed to hear most clearly:

“Today, we can confirm that Botafogo will pay the full transfer fee, plus interest, under the terms of this settlement.”

Full payment. Interest included. Case closed.

Atlanta United’s Standing Reinforced on the Global Stage

Transfer disputes at this scale often disappear into murky compromises, delayed enforcement, or quiet reductions. Atlanta United did not blink. The club pursued the case through FIFA’s legal process, won, defended that win at CAS, and saw the international system enforce its ruling.

Atlanta also framed the outcome as something bigger than one transaction.

“We appreciate the decisions by FIFA and CAS, which reinforce standards that promote a fair and sustainable international transfer market.”

The message is clear. Atlanta United is telling the world, and its own supporters, that contracts matter, deadlines matter, and the club will protect itself inside the global marketplace.

Botafogo’s Failure Triggered a FIFA Transfer Ban

The most revealing detail is what happened when Botafogo did not pay.

FIFA imposed a transfer ban, one of the strongest penalties available, effectively preventing the club from registering new players.

Brazilian reporting confirmed that Botafogo was only removed from FIFA’s transfer ban list after reaching this settlement, allowing them to resume recruiting for 2026.

That sequence matters for Atlanta fans. Botafogo did not resolve this early or voluntarily.

They were forced to.

Dysfunction Behind the Scenes: Leadership Collapse in Rio

The financial dispute did not happen in isolation. It unfolded alongside growing instability inside Botafogo itself.

On the same day the settlement became public, Brazilian outlet ge.globo reported that CEO Thairo Arruda has left his role at Botafogo after internal conflict with majority owner John Textor.

Arruda had been one of the key executives responsible for Botafogo’s business operations, and his departure underscores what this saga has looked like from the Brazilian side: confusion, tension, and governance breakdown at the top.

Arruda has generally been well respected in the industry, but the broader financial strain surrounding Textor’s multi-club network has created persistent instability. In that environment, even capable leadership has struggled to keep Botafogo operating normally.

Textor’s Personal Scramble for Funding

Textor’s response to the settlement has been telling.

Rather than addressing the legal rulings directly, he turned to social media with a supporter-facing message celebrating the lifting of the ban and pivoting immediately back to recruiting and ambition.

In a video posted to Botafogo’s official channels, Textor said: “The transfer ban is lifted so we can finish our recruiting for the year 2026.”

He returned repeatedly to a talking point about playing style: “We have a new system, a new style of play. It is all about the attack.”

He closed with rallying language aimed at supporters: “It is time to set fire. Let’s go.”

But underneath the rhetoric lies a long list of ongoing problems that have dogged Textor personally and Botafogo institutionally.

In recent weeks and months:

• Brazilian courts have blocked Botafogo from selling players or assets until strict conditions are met, a decision tied to compliance concerns and Textor’s handling of negotiations.

• The Rio court order came after Botafogo was already under international sanction for failing to pay Atlanta United, and Textor had publicly discussed making a personal investment to end the transfer ban.

• Textor sought to dismiss the club’s CEO during this period, but a court injunction prevented that, indicating internal leadership tension.

• Outside Brazil, Textor has faced a major court fight over a roughly $97 million investor lawsuit tied to Eagle Football Holdings, with a UK judge ruling the case must move forward, a significant potential liability.

• His multi-club holding structure has been under strain, and Brazilian reporting has noted ongoing friction between Textor, the SAF board, and local courts over financial strategy.

Taken together with recent reporting in Morning Espresso, these items are not isolated headlines.

They add up to a picture of a leadership and financial operation under pressure at every turn. Textor’s focus on social media messaging and style of play rhetoric stands in contrast to the court rulings, compliance orders, asset sales blocks, and internal governance battles that have marked his tenure at Botafogo and Eagle Football.

That is the reality underneath the rhetoric: this was not a victory lap.

It was damage control.

The Takeaway for Atlanta United Fans

Atlanta United did not accept a reduced settlement or a rewritten agreement. The club pursued the case through FIFA’s tribunal process, defended its position at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and saw both bodies uphold the original transfer terms.

When Botafogo failed to meet the payment deadline, FIFA imposed a transfer ban — one of the strongest compliance tools available. That sanction was only lifted once the dispute was resolved.

Atlanta United has confirmed that Botafogo will pay the full outstanding transfer fee, plus interest, under the terms of the 2024 Transfer Agreement.

For Botafogo supporters, this also brings an important shift. The transfer ban had limited the club’s ability to register new players. The restriction’s removal means Botafogo can strengthen its roster ahead of a long season, something their fans have been waiting for through months of uncertainty. The financial and governance issues that contributed to this situation were not created by supporters, and there is reason to hope for stability on the pitch now that the ban is lifted.

In an international transfer market where enforcement is often inconsistent, this case stands as a clear example of contractual obligations being upheld through the sport’s highest legal mechanisms. Atlanta United’s position was validated at every step, and the club will receive the full amount agreed to in the original transfer terms.