Rojas’ lawyer open to deal with Corinthians to avoid transfer ban | OneFootball

The Corinthians received, last Monday, the CAS ruling (Court of Arbitration for Sport) for a debt of more than R$ 40 million with Matías Rojas, a midfielder who terminated his contract with the club last year. However, Timão can be more at ease with the possibility of facing a new transfer ban.

Gazeta Esportiva contacted Rafael Botelho, the lawyer representing the current player of Portland Timbers, USA. Unlike other creditors of the alvinegro club, he says he is open to negotiating a settlement to prevent the case from turning into a new penalty.

According to Botelho, his firm, PVBT Law, has “no interest” in provoking the transfer ban. It is worth remembering that Corinthians is already prohibited from registering players due to a pending debt of R$ 40 million with Santos Laguna, Mexico, for the acquisition of defender Félix Torres.

“Yes, the idea is precisely to find the best way to receive from Corinthians. PVBT has no interest in the transfer ban. The goal is to find a solution for the payment to be made and to avoid this,” said Rojas' representative.

(Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians)

How is the negotiation?

Corinthians has already opened talks with the Paraguayan's staff, but the negotiation, as reported last Tuesday, is embryonic. According to Rafael, there is still no proposal from Timão on the table.

The expectation is that the conversation with the alvinegro board, chaired by Osmar Stabile, will progress in the coming weeks.

“Corinthians has not yet presented a formal proposal for an agreement or installment plan, but we will have more talks with the club,” he informed.

The debt originally amounted to R$ 40.4 million but increased with compensation and interest, rising to R$ 45 million. Timão has about 45 days to reach an agreement with the athlete and avoid a new transfer ban.

Understand the case

Corinthians was ordered to pay more than R$ 40 million to Matías Rojas, who left the club at the end of February due to non-payment of amounts related to image rights.

Rojas was able to request termination due to a clause inserted in the contract renewal in January for the payment of overdue amounts. The clause in question gave Rojas the freedom to leave Timão if the club did not comply with the payment. And so it happened.

Corinthians had arranged to pay Rojas' debt in installments, but by February they failed to pay the second installment. The player then activated the clause and never returned to CT Joaquim Grava.

Besides the clause concerning default, in the same debt renewal, Corinthians also accepted a mitigation clause.

In practice, this means that Rojas gained the ability to claim all contract amounts with Corinthians, both the past debt and what he would still receive until 2027.

Conflict of versions

Then-president of Corinthians, Augusto Melo blamed Rubens Gomes, known as Rubão, who at the time held the position of football director, for the situation.

Augusto Melo's version, however, differs from what three other participants in the negotiation say: Rubão, Rafael Botelho (Rojas' lawyer), and Rozallah Santoro (financial director of the club at the time).

The beginning of it all

In the signing of Matías Rojas in 2023, Corinthians agreed to pay US$ 1.8 million to the player in three installments, not equal, in the months of July, September, and December.

Corinthians always kept the midfielder's salary up to date, as provided in CLT, and even paid taxes on the invoices issued by the athlete. However, the three installments were not deposited.

The amount reached R$ 5 million, and the final promise from the management led by Duilio Monteiro Alves was to make the payment on December 26, which also did not happen.

Ignored proposal

Rojas' defense began negotiating the payment delays in the second half of 2023 and made the first official notification in December. After that, until the end of February, several times, Corinthians promised deadlines that were never met.

During this period, the amount jumped from R$ 5 million to R$ 8 million. Rojas agreed to receive in six installments, without interest, but only the first one was credited to his account.

Even after leaving the club and going to FIFA, Rojas, through his lawyer, opened the possibility of an amicable settlement regarding the R$ 8 million, with a longer term, aiming for each party to “move on without legal proceedings,” but, as in other instances, according to Rafael Botelho, the club ignored the messages and emails sent, something that always caused irritation in the staff.

Rojas' numbers for Corinthians

Matías Rojas' stint at Corinthians was extremely lackluster. The Paraguayan left the club with 30 games played and no goals scored, in addition to three assists.

More convictions on the horizon?

Besides the cases of Rojas and Félix Torres, Corinthians may face more judicial defeats soon. There are two other actions in which Timão has already been condemned by FIFA, pending only the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport. They are:

Recently, in contact with Gazeta Esportiva, the president of Talleres, Andrés Fassi, expressed irritation over the non-payment of the debt involving Garro and rejected the chance of making an agreement.

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