Vitória chief says club will not pay Santos for Lucas Braga after serious diagnosis | OneFootball

Vitória president Fábio Mota says the club will not pay Santos the remaining instalments for Lucas Braga after confirmation the forward can no longer play professionally because of a serious congenital heart condition.

According to Diario Do Peixe, Santos are seeking about R$ 3.6 million in overdue payments from the 2025 deal, when Vitória bought 70% of the player’s economic rights for R$ 5 million, and the club are considering taking the claim to the CNRD.

Mota said between 20 and 21 February 2026 that Braga had been ruled out of professional football. The contract was terminated after the forward failed medical tests for a proposed loan to Fortaleza.

He added that once the termination was published on the CBF’s BID, the player no longer had any formal link, allowing Vitória to continue their planning without that cost.

Vitória intend to argue a hidden defect, claiming the heart condition predated the transfer and was neither detected nor disclosed at the time, and will seek in court to void the debt given the player cannot continue his profession.

Santos maintain the transfer was conducted normally, with medicals and paperwork in order, and say the athlete’s later condition does not cancel the buyer’s obligations. Under president Marcelo Teixeira, they plan to pursue legal avenues to recover the arrears. The dispute looks set to progress formally as the clubs hold opposing positions.

Before the issue was discovered, Braga played 35 matches for Vitória in 2025 and scored two goals.

Source: Diario Do Peixe