Marcelo Paz says Corinthians won’t pay transfer ban, ‘Priority is wages’ | OneFootball

Less than 24 hours after Corinthians were eliminated from the Copa Libertadores, Marcelo Paz, the club’s football executive, called the press for a news conference. The club official was asked about the team’s exit from the competition and Corinthians’ reality for the rest of the season.

In addition to the political and financial problems, Marcelo Paz also took the opportunity to confirm that head coach Fernando Diniz will remain in charge. The executive also spoke at length about Memphis Depay.The Dutchman missed a penalty in the final minute of the match. Had he scored, the battle for a place in the Copa Libertadores semifinal would have gone to a penalty shootout.

During the conversation with the press, the Corinthians executive again spoke about the difficulty of signing players because of the FIFA ban. Because of this, the director said the team’s poor run in the Brazilian Championship and the eliminations from the Copa do Brasil and the Copa Libertadores were largely due to the thin squad.

Still on the financial issue, Marcelo Paz spoke about the squad’s salary situation. The executive said the club is not expected to pay off the transfer ban and is focusing on paying salaries as the board’s top priority.

Marcelo Paz confirms Corinthians delays

“Regular labor-contract wages are up to date, but there are other items that are not. Image rights are one month behind, and other bonus-related payments have not been made. The conversation is based on truth; we are seeking funds so we can be current with the group. We cannot say the players have stopped working, even with delayed payments. We are working transparently; the regular payroll was paid this week, with a one-week delay. It was an uncomfortable situation, but we knew it could happen. The club has paid more than R$ 200 million in debts this year. There are pros and cons, and we have to deal with it within this reality. It is a club going through a bad financial situation; the medicine is bitter. That affects things on the pitch and affects the difficulty of paying salaries. If the sale had gone through, maybe this would not have happened. We always think about what is best for the club,” said Marcelo Paz.

Transfer ban is not expected to be paid in the coming months

“I have no planning information on when the transfer ban will be paid. The priority is to pay salaries; a football club needs to sign players. Naturally, at the end of the year, some contracts expire. When I was hired, in my first conversation with Dorival, he already had that concern. In my initial contacts with the club, the president told me the transfer ban would be lifted and, in fact, it was. We made seven signings, all on free transfers. Players like Gabriel Paulista, Kaio César, and Lingard on free transfers. I have no forecast for paying the transfer ban, but I hope this will be resolved for the good of Corinthians.”

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