Gabriel Índio to miss Benfica’s St. Gallen opener due to age rules | OneFootball

Gabriel Índio will not play for Benfica against St. Gallen in the Europa League second qualifying round, as he is under 18 and cannot be registered.

According to Glorioso 1904, he does not turn 18 until 26 July, so the club cannot complete his registration before then under FIFA rules on international transfers of minors, and he will miss the first match.

His trip to Lisbon is booked, but the contract signing must wait. He will land aged 17 and begin working under Marco Silva in the coming days with the required authorisation from Athletic MG. Benfica and the Minas Gerais club have agreed to speed up his adaptation so he can join pre-season.

The restriction did not derail talks. Benfica plan to make the Brazilian their fourth centre-back, with a fee of around 4 million euros.

For Athletic MG this year, Índio has played 16 matches, eight in the Campeonato Mineiro, four in the Brasileirão Serie B, two in the Copinha and two in the Taça do Brasil. He has logged 1,015 minutes and is valued at 50 thousand euros.

Source: Glorioso 1904