Top Argentine club risks bankruptcy if debt unpaid in four days | OneFootball

A bombshell hit the backstage of Argentine soccer last Tuesday. A large and traditional first-division club, San Lorenzo would have four days to pay a debt of R$ 28 million and thus avoid having to declare bankruptcy.

The origin of the debt

The debt that could shut the doors of the Argentine club arose in 2020. At that time, San Lorenzo sold forward Adolfo Gaich to CSKA Moscow of Russia and reportedly resorted to a loan to advance the transfer amount to its coffers. When the Russians paid for the player’s transfer, they allegedly chose to send the money directly to San Lorenzo, and not to the Swiss fund AIS Investment Fund, which was said to have lent the amount to the Argentine team.

Despite having received the full amount from the deal with CSKA, San Lorenzo reportedly did not settle the loan with the Swiss fund. In 2024, four years after the deal, the courts ordered the team to pay 3.6 million euros to AIS Investment Fund. Now, in 2025, with interest and adjustments, the amount would have reached 4.4 million euros. The information was initially reported by TyC Sports, an Argentine news channel.

Photo: ALEJANDRO PAGNI / AFP

Institutional crisis worsens the situation

The news about San Lorenzo’s possible bankruptcy comes amid a very large institutional crisis within the club. On Monday, the club’s president, Marcelo Moretti, was forced to flee in a police vehicle after a protest by members demanding his resignation.

Now, the club would have four days — until October 19 — to raise this money. Still according to the Argentine newspaper, the only option for the club would be to pay off the debt, since there would be no further avenues of appeal.

San Lorenzo’s lawyers had reportedly been working on the case for a year, as the Swiss fund’s claim is not new, but after several attempts at a settlement, the parties were unable to reach an agreement. Thus, the court made the decision, which puts the club’s future at risk.

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