Juve Finally Get Athirson For �1.6m
Friday 23rd February 2001
Fifa finally gave Juventus permission to complete the signing of Brazilian
defender Athirson from Flamengo for a fee of �1.63 million on Friday,
bringing to an end the on-going dispute between the two clubs.
The world governing body has been investigating the saga since early January
after Flamengo claimed that Juventus had not signed the player legitimately.
"Athirson's contractual agreement with Flamengo officially expired on
December 31, 2000," confirmed a Fifa spokesman on Friday. "That means he was
free to sign a pre-contract with Juventus in July 17, 2000."
Under Fifa regulations, players are allowed to sign pre-contracts with
another club when they have less than six months remaining on their
contract.
Fifa also revealed that Juventus must pay Flamengo �1.63 million for the
23-year-old.
This news may come as a relief to the Brazilian club, who, despite
originally asking for �10 million, feared that they would lose the player
for a minimal fee. Indeed, reports in South America last week claimed that
Fifa had agreed to accept Juventus' valuation of �360,000.
The dispute between the two clubs came about after Flamengo claimed Athirson
had broken Brazilian regulations when his former agent Marlene Mattos signed
the contract on his behalf. However, Fifa confirmed that the contract is, in
fact, valid and Athirson is now free to play for the Turin club.
