At no cost: insurance covers Lucas while injured, no hit for São Paulo | OneFootball

Lucas will have all hospital expenses, in addition to his monthly salary while he is injured, covered by the mandatory insurance that clubs in Brazil are required to have, according to an article of the Pelé Law. This means São Paulo will not have major expenses with its idol, who is not expected to return to football this season.

One of the biggest complaints from the Tricolor fanbase is that some players on high wages spend more time in the medical department than on the pitch, hurting the club financially. But in cases of more serious injuries, like Lucas’s, there is this relief for teams.

Article 45 of Law No. 9,615, the Pelé Law, states that “sports organizations are required to take out life and personal accident insurance, linked to sporting activity, for professional athletes, with the purpose of covering the risks to which they are exposed”.

Its two paragraphs state:

§ 1 The insured amount must guarantee the professional athlete, or the beneficiary indicated by him in the insurance contract, the right to minimum compensation corresponding to the annual value of the agreed remuneration.

§ 2 The sports organization is responsible for medical, hospital, and medication expenses necessary for the athlete’s recovery while the insurer has not yet paid the compensation referred to in § 1 of this article.

Each player signs a different insurance policy, depending on his salary and agreement with the club. There is, however, a cap on the amount to be paid to athletes, but this amount is generally enough to cover the expenses for each month he remains unable to play for his team. The clubs’ financial statements confirm this lack of expenses with players who are sidelined for more than a month.

Thus, Tricolor initially covers Lucas Moura’s medical costs and salary, until it later receives reimbursement from the contracted insurer.

Another issue regarding injured players is that no club can terminate the contract of players who are out of action, under risk of being fined and condemned in court. São Paulo, on the contrary, has a habit of renewing the contracts of its injured players for one more year.

As the negotiations with Lucas are a bit more complex than those involving the others, his contractual situation with Tricolor will still be defined by the parties further ahead.

Lucas Moura suffered a complete rupture of the Achilles tendon in his right leg, underwent surgery on Monday (4), and this Tuesday (5) was already discharged to spend the first few days of rest at home before returning to São Paulo to begin his recovery, which is expected to last from six to eight months.

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