With a debt of R$1.4 billion, Galo was unable to control its cash flow and saw the crisis affect the mood of the squad.
The billion-dollar debt has been suffocating Atlético and impacting the professional squad. On Tuesday (July 22), a flurry of news brought to light lawsuits, both legal and otherwise, from athletes against the club.
Below, it details how the club’s financial turmoil has reached the field – and how the board is trying to regain control of the situation amid the turmoil behind the scenes. Atlético has been in a delicate financial situation for some time. The current management took over the Sociedade Anônima do Futebol (SAF) in November 2023, but have been unable to significantly reduce the club’s debt.
The club’s balance sheet showed a debt of R$1.3 billion at the end of that year and R$1.4 billion in December 2024. During this period, the club also received a R$200 million investment from banker Daniel Vorcaro, an amount that was divided over six months. However, the report found that these amounts were quickly diluted to balance cash flow.
The situation became increasingly difficult until, this season, Atlético began delaying payments to its professional squad. This had occurred on previous occasions, such as in May 2023, but it wasn’t a recurring occurrence.
Debts to Players, Clubs, and Agents
This year, Atlético has been at least three months behind on player payments. In addition to salaries and image rights, the club also owes bribes to some agents in the world of soccer. Atlético has also failed to honor the installments for some player purchases. The club owes Corinthians, Athletico-PR, Cuiabá, and Botafogo for the signings of midfielder Fausto Vera and forwards Cuello, Deyverson, and Júnior Santos, respectively.
Player Movement
The “bombshell” exploded on Tuesday afternoon when news broke that Rony had requested a termination from Atlético. Subsequently, No Ataque confirmed that midfielders Igor Gomes and Gustavo Scarpa had served extrajudicial notice regarding their late payments. Left-back Guilherme Arana also received a notice.
The report found that the club views these extrajudicial maneuvers as a more frequent occurrence in Brazilian football. Furthermore, these notifications have been issued for a longer period of time. According to a source at Galo, what deviated from the norm was Rony’s actions – he ultimately backed down and decided to stay at the club. Some players did not adhere to the lawsuit.
Publicly, defender Lyanco and midfielder Bernard denied notifying the club. Goalkeeper Everson, right-back Saravia, defender Igor Rabello, midfielder Gabriel Menino, and forward Cuello also avoided legal action.
