Corinthians seek financial deal to ease Shakhtar debt; explained | OneFootball

Corinthians was ordered by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to pay R$ 7.2 million to Shakhtar Donetsk related to the consecutive loan spells of defensive midfielder Maycon, who no longer plays for the club. Timão is already aware of the ruling and is seeking a financial arrangement with the Ukrainian club to reduce the debt.

According to information obtained by Gazeta Esportiva, the club’s top brass plans to involve Pedrinho’s sale in the financial arrangement. The attacking midfielder, developed in Corinthians’ youth academy, was sold to Benfica in 2020. In June of the following year, the player was transferred to Shakhtar for 18 million euros (R$ 110.5 million at the exchange rate at the time).

As the player’s training club, Timão should receive 4.25% of the total transfer fee through FIFA’s solidarity mechanism. In other words, the São Paulo side would be entitled to R$ 4.6 million.

Corinthians identified, however, that Shakhtar still has an outstanding debt. The Ukrainian club owes around 500,000 euros (about R$ 3 million at the current exchange rate). The black-and-white club’s board believes it can offset part of the debt over Maycon with this amount.

If the teams reach an agreement, Corinthians could reduce the amount owed to Shakhtar Donetsk. The clubs’ boards are therefore expected to meet soon to settle the final amount Timão must pay.

The CAS ruling

Corinthians was ordered to pay R$ 7.2 million to Shakhtar. The amount mainly refers to Maycon’s consecutive loan spells. The defensive midfielder joined the black-and-white club in 2022 and stayed until December of last year. With his contract at Shakhtar coming to an end, he chose to move to Galo.

There is also a fine included in the amount, in addition to annual interest of 10% on the overdue sums, counted from 2023 onward.

The decision was made by the body on March 10. Corinthians’ board has 45 calendar days from that date to settle the debt with Shakhtar. As a result, Timão has just under a month left to make the payment. If it does not, it risks suffering another transfer ban.

Corinthians had already been ordered by FIFA to pay the debt to the Ukrainian club, but appealed the decision precisely to CAS, considered the final instance, in June of last year.

Maycon’s numbers for Corinthians

Maycon came through at Corinthians and had two spells with the black-and-white club. Altogether, wearing Timão’s shirt, he made 245 appearances, with 18 goals and 13 assists, in addition to five titles: the Paulista championships in 2017, 2018, and 2025, the 2028 Brasileirão, and the 2025 Copa do Brasil.

Corinthians’ upcoming matches

Fluminense vs Corinthians (ninth round of the Brazilian Championship) Date and time: 04/01 (Wednesday), at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) Venue: Maracanã, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ)

Corinthians vs Internacional (tenth round of the Brazilian Championship) Date and time: 04/05 (Sunday), at 7:30 p.m. (Brasília time) Venue: Neo Química Arena, in São Paulo (SP)

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