The former Brazilian striker Ronaldo Luiz Nazário de Lima, new owner of the Cruzeiro, announced this Monday the payment of the debts that the club had with other teams and that prevented it from registering new players to face the 2022 season.
In a letter published on Cruzeiro’s social networks, Ronaldo stated that the fulfillment of these commitments “was not planned for the current moment”, since he has not yet signed the purchase contract that will formally make him the majority shareholder of the Belo entity Horizon.
But he pointed out that with this movement he wanted to give his “vote of confidence” in the recovery of Cruzeiro, which has fallen to the Second Division of the Brazilian Championship and is immersed in a deep economic crisis.
“It is a firm step in the direction of a new Cruzeiro: austere, strong, committed and respectful. I believe in our union, in your loyalty and in the future that we are beginning to build,” said the also owner of Real Valladolid of Spain.
“We have a long road ahead of us and I am prepared to make personal resignations, take risks and always work as a team with great transparency,” he added.
Ronaldo did not give details about figures, but the portal ‘ge’, of the Globo group, assured that the payment of debts with third clubs exceeded 20 million reais (about 3.6 million dollars).
That amount, according to the aforementioned media, corresponds to three operations from previous years not fully compensated by Cruzeiro and that earned him a sanction from FIFA since the middle of last year that prevented the entity from registering new contracts.
The debts were with the Uruguayan Defender for the signing of playmaker Giorgian de Arrascaeta; with the Mexican Mazlatán by the Colombian attacker Duvier Riascos; and with Tigres, also from Mexico, by Brazilian striker Rafal Sobis, according to “ge”.
Waiting for FIFA to lift the sanctions
Cruzeiro now hopes that FIFA lifts the sanctions and can register the ten signings announced for this year, with a view to their debut in the Mineiro Championship, scheduled for this Wednesday against URT.
Ronaldo stated on January 11 in his presentation as the new owner of the Brazilian club that Cruzeiro was “in the ICU” due to his high debt and warned the fans that he would take “unpopular actions.”
“It’s a tragic scenario, but we have to stop the bleeding. Cruzeiro is a patient in serious condition,” he said at a press conference, in which he clarified that “technically” he could back down on buying the club where he played as a young man. before making the leap to European football, but that possibility was remote.
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