Despite his absence, São Paulo still pay Arboleda to avoid loophole | OneFootball

Even as a way of legally protecting itself, São Paulo’s board paid Arboleda’s salary and the installments of the signing bonus he was entitled to in April as usual. The goal is to avoid loopholes that would allow the center back not only to terminate his contract, which runs until the end of 2027, but also to seek damages in a case where he is clearly the victim.

This Thursday (16), the Morumbi club sent the 34-year-old player a third notice demanding his presence at the Barra Funda training center to discuss the situation. As happened with the previous ones, Arboleda ignored Tricolor’s attempt to contact him.

According to sources in São Paulo’s top hierarchy who spoke to the report, the notices also serve as legal protection. It would be a way for the club to prove that it has been trying to keep in touch with the player. And perhaps even serve as concrete evidence once the disappearance reaches 30 days, when unilateral termination would become plausible, as lawyers working with Tricolor’s legal department said.

As AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR revealed, Arboleda suggested waiving the amounts he is still owed, including overdue payments, salaries, and signing bonuses through the end of the contract, in order to obtain his release.

In other words, the Ecuadorian suggested an amicable “nil-nil” exit: he would leave the club without receiving a cent of what he is still entitled to.

It sounds tempting, but the fact is that São Paulo did not even want to discuss the “proposal” with his camp. For two reasons. The first, obviously, is that the club demands Arboleda’s presence at the Barra Funda training center to discuss the matter. It does not accept handling it virtually, even out of respect, as justified.

But obviously it goes beyond that. One of the points mentioned to the report by sources from São Paulo’s top brass is that the board suspects Arboleda may already have offers in hand to sign a new contract as soon as he is free. It even knows that rivals such as Santos are keeping an eye on the player. And given the situation, it does not want to make things easier.

As much as president Harry Massis Júnior has spoken internally about immediate dismissal, the legal department is easing tensions and does not treat a possible unilateral termination, with a fine charged to the player or a future club, as simple. The legal dispute does not offer complete certainty at this time. The club knows it has no way of getting money out of the indebted Arboleda. And that the matter would drag on for years. This is all in the case of a 34-year-old athlete, close to retirement.

At the Barra Funda training center, the path that seems most plausible right now is for Arboleda to report back and only then for a negotiation with another club regarding his departure to take place. Football executives have already informed his agent that they want him training at separate times (after all, he no longer plays for Tricolor).

THE CASE

São Paulo is still waiting for an explanation from Arboleda for the absence that began on the 4th (Saturday), when the center back failed to show up for the game against Cruzeiro. After a formal notice with a 24-hour deadline, the club received no immediate response and began treating the case as a potential job abandonment, although it remains cautious before formalizing any definitive break.

AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR learned that the board was surprised by his stance, especially because it had recently settled overdue signing-bonus and bonus payments.

According to what was reported to the outlet, president Harry Massis Júnior and members of the legal department are openly guaranteeing that the club “will not spend a single cent on the player’s departure.” No one is any longer working with the possibility of reintegrating the center back.

Arboleda left Brazil and traveled to Ecuador, where he was seen at a stadium in Guayaquil on Wednesday (8), one day after Tricolor’s Copa Sudamericana debut. Images show the defender watching a local second-division match.

Meanwhile, the club sent a new notice setting a ten-day deadline for him to report back, a period that comes before the possibility of unilateral termination.

The internal assessment is that this episode differs from previous incidents. In 2026, the center back racked up four delays, including a late return for preseason and a trip to Ecuador during Carnival, but in all of them there was some kind of communication. This time, in addition to the initial silence, there was direct failure to comply with a call-up for a match, which changed the board’s stance.

On the field, Arboleda had already been losing ground, appearing in only 11 of the team’s 20 matches this season. In recent days, there was an initial move toward rapprochement. Through his camp, Arboleda reportedly signaled to the club an interest in discussing a termination in a meeting between the parties. However, if the absence is not justified, São Paulo would intend to terminate for cause and trigger the compensation clause.

For the domestic market, the stipulated fine is R$ 300 million; in a possible international transfer, the amount could reach €100 million (around R$ 596 million).

The strategy includes trying to hold a future interested club liable, although experts consulted point out that this depends on proof of inducement to breach the contract.

Those experts indicate that the legal outcome depends on the specific clauses of the contract.

The possibility of charging the full fine in cases of termination for cause is not automatic, and the trend in recent FIFA decisions is to seek financial compensation based on the remaining term of the deal and any proven losses.

The case recalls previous disputes involving players who left clubs without an agreement, but with updated understandings regarding joint liability.

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