Vasco, Botafogo and Flu among 9 Serie A clubs owing players; club denies | OneFootball

It’s a paradoxical moment in Brazilian football. Clubs have never brought in more revenue than they do now — and, at the same time, they have never owed so much to their own players. A survey published by journalist Jorge Nicola laid bare the scale of the problem: nine of the 20 Serie A teams have overdue salaries, image rights, or signing bonuses owed to their players. And Vasco is on that list.

More than just an isolated figure, the picture reveals a worrying trend: all of the delinquent clubs are part of the select group of clubs considered giants in the country. In other words, the problem is not on the fringes of Brazilian football — it is at its heart.

Vasco among the major clubs with outstanding debts

According to Jorge Nicola’s survey, Brazil has 12 clubs recognized as the country’s biggest. Of that total, nine appear with some kind of outstanding debt to their squad. They are: Atlético-MG, Botafogo, Corinthians, Fluminense, Grêmio, Internacional, São Paulo, Santos, and Vasco.

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For Vasco fans, the report raises a red flag. In a scenario where the board is active in the market looking for major reinforcements, appearing on a delinquency list involving its own squad exposes the delicate line between sporting ambition and financial balance — a challenge that, as the survey shows, is far from exclusive to São Januário.

Despite the survey, Vasco has always denied any possible delays under Pedrinho’s management. The president has always made it clear that salaries are up to date.

Major clubs with outstanding debts

Clubs from the “hall of the biggest” that appear with overdue salaries, image rights, or signing bonuses:

Atlético-MG · Botafogo · Corinthians · Fluminense · Grêmio · Internacional · São Paulo · Santos · Vasco

The paradox: record revenue, record debt

The most intriguing point of the survey is precisely the contrast. Never has so much money circulated in Brazilian football — television rights, international prize money, and multimillion-dollar transfers have swollen club coffers. Even so, the bill owed to players remains in the red across much of the top flight.

The explanation lies in unbalanced management, bloated wage bills, and commitments made beyond real financial means. The result is a cycle in which revenue grows, but expenses grow even faster.

The crisis that reached Fifa’s courts

The seriousness of the situation has already gone beyond national borders and reached Fifa. Botafogo, for example, came to accumulate seven sanctions imposed by world football’s governing body, with debts exceeding R$ 200 million. Without paying a cent, the club escaped the penalties after its SAF entered judicial recovery.

Corinthians is currently dealing with three transfer bans — there were four until last week. São Paulo and Santos are also barred from registering new players for failing to pay for the transfers of Marcos Antonio (Lazio) and Jean Lucas (Monaco), respectively.

Serie B also deep in the red

The problem is not limited to the first division. In Serie B, the situation is even more alarming: 11 of the 20 clubs also have overdue salaries, image rights, or signing bonuses, according to the same survey by Jorge Nicola.

The Financial Fair Play that never took hold

The creation of a Financial Fair Play agency, tasked with monitoring clubs, promised to rein in the chaos. The body began operating in 2026, but in practice, little has changed.

The case of Santos is emblematic: the club came to accumulate three months of overdue image rights, paying off only one of them recently. The situation is even worse for loaned-out players. Tiquinho Soares secured a contract termination in court after going seven months without receiving image rights and three months without his registered salary. Meanwhile, Patrick, on loan to Remo, has not received his registered salary since March, and his image rights have been unpaid since the turn of the year.

At Corinthians, the outstanding amount owed to Memphis Depay is close to R$ 45 million, referring to bonuses accumulated over the two-year contract that ends this Friday — rewards tied to titles, appearances, goals, and assists.

The Vitória case and the bar for delinquency

One point deserves clarification. Vitória was mentioned in the report, but the Bahia club’s issue is limited to a specific dispute with goalkeeper Gabriel Vasconcelos. Leão president Fábio Mota even assured that salaries have been paid 15 days in advance — which places the club at a different level within the survey.

Who is up to date on payments

Up to date — Serie A

Athletico-PR · Bahia · Chapecoense · Coritiba · Cruzeiro · Flamengo · Mirassol · Palmeiras · Red Bull · Remo · Vitória

Up to date — Serie B

Athletic · Botafogo-SP · Criciúma · Cuiabá · Juventude · Londrina · Novorizontino · Operário · Vila Nova

The snapshot drawn up by Jorge Nicola sends an uncomfortable message to Brazilian fans, Vasco supporters or not: in a football industry moving record sums, keeping the house in order has become a task for very few. And while the numbers don’t add up, the ones who feel the burden most are the players themselves.

The snapshot drawn up by Jorge Nicola sends an uncomfortable message to Brazilian fans, Vasco supporters or not: in a football industry moving record sums, keeping the house in order has become a task for very few. And while the numbers don’t add up, the ones who feel the burden most are the players themselves.

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.