Barcelona has lost a dispute with Zenit St. Petersburg regarding the transfer of Malcom, resulting in a loss of nearly half a million euros. However, this setback will be overshadowed by a significant compensation coming their way from FIFA.
Malcom joined Zenit in 2019 for a Russian record fee of €41.5 million and has since transferred to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia for €60 million. Barcelona included a clause in his contract that entitled them to bonuses every time Zenit qualified for the Champions League group stage, provided Malcom played in half of the Russian league matches.
Zenit contested this clause in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), arguing that their exclusion from the Champions League due to a UEFA ban on Russian teams exempted them from paying Barcelona. CAS upheld Zenit’s argument, meaning Barcelona will forfeit €490,000.
On a brighter note, Barcelona is set to receive just over €6.92 million from FIFA as compensation for Gavi’s injury. According to *MD*, if Gavi is cleared to play, this compensation will be finalized, as he was injured while on international duty. FIFA provides a maximum of €7.5 million in compensation for injuries sustained over a 365-day period, with clubs eligible for up to €20,000 per day of injury if it lasts longer than one or two weeks. Gavi is expected to be out for about a month, just shy of the maximum compensation period. He sustained his injury in November while playing for Spain against Georgia.
Barcelona will undoubtedly be pleased to have Gavi back. While the financial compensation will be welcomed, the return of the tenacious midfielder is far more critical. His presence on the pitch could significantly contribute to Barcelona’s performance both domestically and in Europe, likely surpassing any financial benefits from his injury compensation.