Corinthians president sets date to clear transfer ban, discusses loan duo

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Central do Timão

·24 December 2025

Corinthians president sets date to clear transfer ban, discusses loan duo

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

The president of Corinthians, Osmar Stabile, minutes after the official announcement of the departure of football executive Fabinho Soldado, gave an interview to the channel Café do Setorista, where he was asked about the club’s plan to settle the transferban, which has been active since mid-August, with FIFA. The punishment was due to a debt of R$ 40 million owed to Santos Laguna, from Mexico, for the signing of defender Félix Torres.

The president projected a resolution to the situation, as well as regarding the club’s debt with Paraguayan midfielder Matías Rojas, who played for Corinthians from July 2023 to February 2024. Corinthians, in fact, has already reached an agreement with the player’s staff regarding these outstanding issues.

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Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

“That is the intention, to pay in January. We are working on all fronts to resolve the situation, which is already well advanced and practically settled, with only a few details remaining. There is a possibility that we will make the payment as soon as tomorrow or Friday, at least part of the amount owed to Rojas, to avoid the activation of the transfer mechanism. I am sure this will be resolved as quickly as possible.”

“Regarding Santos Laguna, negotiations are ongoing. We are in talks with the club, which has shown itself open to dialogue, to seek an alternative that suits both Santos Laguna and Corinthians. The expectation is to resolve this issue by January 3rd or 5th, close to the opening of the transfer window,” he began.

Regarding the debt with the Mexican team, Corinthians even made an offer to pay 70% of the amount upfront and to pay the remainder in installments, which was ultimately rejected. At the time, Santos Laguna demanded a deposit of 90% of the debt as a down payment. The signing of the Ecuadorian defender took place at the beginning of Augusto Melo’s administration, who was removed and dismissed from the presidency in mid and late August of this year, respectively.

Next, Osmar Stabile stressed that the priority remains resolving the transferban and mentioned that, previously, Santos Laguna was closed to dialogue. After the change in presidency, the scenario changed: “The main problem is solving the transfer ban imposed by FIFA, which is a large amount. We tried to negotiate, but initially there was no openness, because in the previous administration there was no dialogue.”

“Since the first day of this administration, we have sought negotiation, but the Mexican club was resistant due to the way it was treated. We explained that the scenario has changed, that there is a new president and a commitment to honor what is agreed upon. Today, there is this openness to talk, and I am sure we will resolve this situation as soon as possible,” he continued.

Later, the Corinthians president explained the differences between FIFA and CBF transferbans. In addition to the punishment from football’s highest governing body, the club also has financial issues with the National Chamber of Dispute Resolution (CNRD), an organ of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), regarding delays in payments of agreements made in the debt settlement program.

Corinthians’ largest creditor in the CNRD is Cuiabá, which is owed R$ 18 million for the sale of midfielder Raniele to the club from Parque São Jorge in January last year. In October, the club was three days late in paying the second installment of the agreement, which resulted in the punishment.

Immediately after the deposit, the club sent a request to the CBF for the ban to be lifted, but the CNRD ended up rejecting the request. Internally, Corinthians is optimistic that after paying the third installment, worth R$ 7 million, due on January 17, the punishment will be lifted.

“Normally, what happens with FIFA is different from what happens with the CBF. With FIFA, when there is a transferban, just make the payment and the next day the club is already cleared to register players. It’s not that you can’t sign players, you can negotiate as usual; what you can’t do is register them, whether they are youth or professional players.”

“With the CBF, the system is different. Even with a favorable decision from the CNRD, the deadline expired on Friday at midnight, we paid by Monday at noon, but at eight in the morning the transferban had already been applied. In our understanding, after payment, the release should be immediate, but the CBF uses a different procedure. We have already talked to them to try to adjust this system. I am sure this will not be a factor that will harm Corinthians,” he added.

Finally, he was asked about the situation of two players loaned to Cruzeiro and Ceará, respectively: right-back Fagner and forward Pedro Raul. The former started the season on the bench for the Minas Gerais team and, when he got a run as a starter, suffered a tibia fracture at the end of July, keeping him off the field until the first week of December. In total, he played 18 matches for Cruzeiro, with one assist. His contract with Corinthians ends in December 2026.

Pedro Raul, in turn, who has a contract with Corinthians until December 2028, will not remain at Ceará in 2026 even after scoring 17 goals and providing two assists in 45 games. This is because the northeastern team was relegated to Serie B and cannot afford the player’s costs, as the second division brings in less revenue—making cost-cutting necessary.

Osmar Stabile confirmed Pedro Raul’s return to Corinthians. The player, however, will be evaluated by the coaching staff and the new football executive—since Fabinho Soldado has left the position. Regarding Fagner, the club is waiting for contact from Cruzeiro to define the player’s situation—he is on loan until December 31.

“About Pedro, we were informed that he is returning from loan at Ceará, and will be available to Dorival Junior at the start of the season. When a new executive arrives, there will be alignment between myself, the executive, and the coach. (About Fagner) So far, Cruzeiro has not contacted us to discuss Fagner’s situation. However, Pedrinho (Cruzeiro’s president) told me he would get in touch,” he concluded.

Right-back Fagner has played 578 matches for Corinthians (544 as a starter), scoring 12 goals and providing 76 assists. In addition, he has won five titles: the Brazilian Championship (2015 and 2017) and the Paulista Championship (2017, 2018, and 2019). In total, he has had two spells at the club (2006—promoted from the youth team—and 2014-2024).

Forward Pedro Raul, on the other hand, was signed by Corinthians at the start of 2024 for five million dollars (R$ 25 million) from Toluca, Mexico. However, the striker did not perform as expected and did not get many opportunities under Antônio Oliveira and Ramón Díaz. After starting the season at Parque São Jorge, he was loaned to Ceará. With the Corinthians shirt, he has just four goals and two assists in 39 games (14 as a starter).

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