Why Deportivo Cali sued River Plate against FIFA

After a string of poor results, Deportivo Cali won another victory against Cortuluá for the 13th date of the BetPlay League. The 'Verdiblanco' team won 2-1 at the Palmaseca stadium thanks to the scores of Kevin Velasco (9′) and Yony González (53′); on the visit Luis Carlos Ruiz (86′), one of the championship scorers with seven goals, discounted on the visit.

With this result, those led by coach Rafael Dudamel were able to get out of the last position, now placing themselves in square 18 in the championship. Although qualifying for the group of eight looks complicated, Cali remains hopeful of reversing history with a streak of several consecutive wins.

However, the lack of results of the 'Sugar' package must be compounded by another problem, but at the judicial level. Marco Caicedo, president of the institution, confirmed this Monday in an interview with the newspaper Olé that he filed a lawsuit against River Plate for non-compliance with the Argentine flyer, Agustín Palavecino, who signed with the 'Millionario' painting in February 2021.

The mess is next. According to figures from Olé, River acquired Palavecino last year in exchange for 1.8 million dollars, corresponding to 35 per cent of its pass. However, in the negotiation, a purchase obligation was fixed for another 30% of the player if he played in half of the matches of the Argentine team. That condition was fulfilled last November 7, in the 5-0 win against Patrontato for the 20th date of the Argentine Professional League 2021.

Therefore, River was obliged to pay an additional $1.7 million to Cali for that remaining percentage. However, Caicedo stated that this payment has not yet been made, considering that the deadline was until December.

“We tried by all friendly means, as good relations between clubs are present, until they did not respond again and we had to resort to file the lawsuit with FIFA. We had patience, until they stopped responding to us and we had no more resources,” said the Cali leader.

“We know 100% that we have the legal floor with all the truth, sustenance and supporting documentation,” added the president of the group 'Azucarero', who closed by saying that he had to go to the governing body of football as a last resort.

According to the information released in Olé, River is not yet aware of this judicial process and they argue that the delays in payments have been caused by blockades in Argentina for the outflow of large amounts of dollars.

Palavecino left Deportivo Cali as its most valuable player, since, at that time, it was worth approximately 1.8 million euros, according to the specialized portal Transfermarkt. And since it arrived at River Plate, its market value has continued to skyrocket, as the same website currently estimates it at six million.

Under the direction of coach Marcelo Gallardo, the Argentine steering wheel has been the protagonist in most matches. In 2021 alone, Palavecino played 45 matches, between league, cup and international tournaments and, in addition, scored five goals.

Earlier this season, the 25-year-old midfielder had a left knee injury, which forced him to miss the first matches. Of the seven dates played by River in the League Cup, this one has been available in four, and only one has been a starter.

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