FIFA imposes transfer ban on Bunyodkor over unpaid debt to Rivaldo

FIFA adopted the decision on June 23 and notified the Uzbekistan Professional Football League (PFL) on July 2.

The sanction means Bunyodkor will be unable to register new signings until it settles its outstanding obligations to Rivaldo.

The club had previously acknowledged its debt to the former Brazil international and later reached an agreement to repay it in installments over five years.

According to the club, it met its payment obligations throughout the 2024 and 2025 seasons. However, after its founder and main sponsor, Uzbekneftegaz, stopped financing the club at the beginning of 2026, Bunyodkor was unable to make the installment due by May.

Rivaldo subsequently filed a new complaint with FIFA. As a result, the previous five-year settlement agreement, including the negotiated reduction in the amount owed, was cancelled.

Although Uzbekistan's summer transfer window remains open until August 10, Bunyodkor cannot register any new players with the Professional Football League while the ban is in force.

The club will have to finish the season with its current squad. It may also register only those academy players who were already listed in FIFA's registration system before the ban took effect. Young players admitted to the Bunyodkor academy after June 23 are also ineligible for registration under the current restrictions.

Debt reduced from €11.2 million to €7.5 million

Bunyodkor was initially ordered to pay Rivaldo a total of €11.16 million. However, the two sides later reached a settlement that reduced the outstanding amount to €7.5 million.

The club said it was unable to make the payment scheduled for 2026 within the agreed deadline.

According to a Kun.uz source, Bunyodkor's annual budget consists of UZS 35 billion in state funding. The installment due to Rivaldo this year reportedly amounts to roughly half of that budget. The source added that the government did not authorize the use of state funds to repay the debt.

Uzbekneftegaz has also stated that, in line with a government directive, it stopped financing football clubs entirely from January 1. The company said it would not cover Bunyodkor's debt to Rivaldo, arguing that the liability belongs solely to the club.

Rivaldo played for Bunyodkor between 2008 and 2010, making 61 appearances and scoring 31 goals. The former FIFA World Player of the Year retired from professional football in 2015.