Brazilian giants Flamengo have publicly attacked Cristiano Ronaldo’s Almeria over an unpaid fee for Lazaro Vinicius, who signed for the Andalusian club in 2022. They claim that the fee they are claiming is approaching two years overdue.
Almeria agreed a €7m for Lazaro, who arrived as a promising young forward from the Brasileirao. Arriving at the end of the transfer window in 2022, Lazaro spent 18 months at Almeria in La Liga as they battled relegation, successfully in his first campaign. In total, he made 58 appearances for Almeria, scoring seven goals and giving one assist, failing to nail down a starting spot during his time. In February of 2024, Lazaro returned temporarily to Palmeiras in Brazil, and had a further half season in Segunda at the Juegos Mediterraneos stadium. Last summer, he moved to Al-Najma in Saudi Arabia for €5m.
In a lengthy statement, Flamengo state that a fee of €1.8m for his move to Almeria has been outstanding for 590 days. Mentioning the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo recently acquired 25% of the club in a deal with Saudi Arabian owner Mohamed Al-Khereji. ‘Fla’ assert that Almeria have deliberately obstructed payment through bad faith legal smokescreens. They declare that they have taken Almeria to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to resolve the matter.
Ronaldo’s involvement is relatively redundant, but of course by including him, the matter receives far more attention. Equally, having invested in the club, and with a salary of his own in Saudi Arabia that covers the fee many times over in a single week, there can be no pretence of cash flow problems.
OFFICIAL NOTICE
ALMERIA OWES FLAMENGO NEARLY €1.8M FOR 590 DAYS
In February, the athlete Cristiano Ronaldo acquired 25% of the Spanish club
The Clube de Regatas do Flamengo publicly expresses its energetic repudiation of the conduct adopted by the Spanish club UD Almeria, due to the breach of the contractual obligation assumed in the transfer of the athlete Lázaro, carried out in August 2022. After 590 days in a state of non-payment, the club has accumulated a debt estimated at more than €1.8m, in flagrant disregard for the signed commitments and the rules that govern relations in international football.
The case is objective and unequivocal: there is an express contractual obligation that assigns to the Spanish club the responsibility for the payment or reimbursement of the taxes applied in Spain. However, even after Flamengo was forced to assume said amounts – for an amount exceeding €1.5m – and following a formal decision by FIFA that fully recognized its right to reimbursement, Almería chooses not to comply with its obligation. The debt after 590 days of non-payment exceeds €1.8m.
Instead, it adopts a repeated stance of resistance, relying on procedural resources of an eminently dilatory nature, in clear contradiction with the principles of good faith, contractual loyalty, and integrity that must govern relations between clubs in international football.
This is not a one-off breach, but a conscious and deliberate conduct of postponement that undermines the legal certainty of contractual relations in football and compromises the credibility of the system.
Flamengo trusts that the competent bodies, especially the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), will provide the due response to this behavior, ensuring compliance with the decisions already issued within the scope of FIFA and adherence to the commitments assumed.
The Club will remain firm in the defense of its rights and in the protection of the integrity of contractual relations in football, alerting and seeking a forceful reaction from clubs, entities, and regulators.
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo
