Flamengo turns up the heat to end row with agents and CBF

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Coluna do Fla

·24 July 2026

Flamengo turns up the heat to end row with agents and CBF

Business agents were outraged with Flamengo after the club rescheduled payments

Flamengo released, this Thursday (23), an official statement to deny claims made by agents who had criticized the club in previous days. This is because the Rubro-Negro rescheduled payments, and the agents accuse the club of failing to honor financial agreements. See Flamengo’s full statement:

Clube de Regatas do Flamengo clarifies that it has never paid commissions of 20% or more in negotiations for the signing of players. Analyses of financial statements that link the commission amount exclusively to the value of the economic rights (transfer fee) do not reflect the percentage actually paid in the transaction. This is because the total cost of a signing may include, in addition to the transfer fee, other components such as signing bonuses, salaries, and image rights, which are also part of the economic basis of the deal. Flamengo reaffirms its commitment to financial responsibility, transparency, and good governance in the conduct of its operations.

What is the context of Flamengo’s statement?

Flamengo decided to postpone commission payments owed to players’ agents until the end of 2026, with payment now scheduled only for 2027. The department used to pay agents 7% of transfer values as commission.

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Then, the Brazilian Association of Football Agents (Abaf), with the signatures of 41 agents, filed a complaint with the National Agency for Football Regulation and Sustainability (Anresf). The latter is a body of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) responsible for financial fair play.

What are the agents asking for?

If Anresf officially starts recognizing agents as creditors entitled to report non-payment, clubs could face punishment. Sanctions include points deductions or a ban on registering new players.

Why did Flamengo take this step now?

The strategy of postponing payments to ease cash flow is not new under the current administration. At the start of 2025, shortly after taking office with only R$ 3 million in its coffers, Bap’s board did the same to increase the cash available for day-to-day operations.

At the moment, the decision to hold back commissions reflects a cautious approach in the transfer market. After all, the heavy investment made to sign Lucas Paquetá, which cost a total of R$ 315.7 million, with R$ 155 million paid upfront, considerably reduced Mengo’s immediate spending power.

In order not to compromise the budget and to remain balanced, the club chose to hold back transfers to agents while seeking new signings in the transfer window. One of the players being considered is Argentine midfielder Thiago Almada of Atlético de Madrid (ESP).

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