Ricardo Nascimento refuses to let go of R600k owed by expelled Royal AM

Brazilian defender Ricardo Nascimento still wants what’s owed to him by Royal AM, despite the club being kicked out of the PSL after a financial scandal involving owner Shauwn Mkhize.

After going months without receiving a salary from the club, Nascimento took the issue up with world football governing body FIFA, who ruled that he was owed R600,000. The club was also handed a transfer ban until they settled their debts.

They also owed Serbian striker Samir Nurkovic R15 million, plus interest and related costs. Speaking from Brazil, attorney Matheus Augusto Bertasso insisted that the player was still after what he was owed, despite the club being taken off FIFA’s list of clubs serving a transfer ban.

“The player’s attorneys are now studying other ways to claim the amount due in favour of Ricardo Nascimento, since the transfer ban imposed was not sufficient,” Bertasso was quoted by KickOff on Friday.

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Royal AM were expelled from the PSL after the club was placed under curatorship to help recoup some of the R40 million Mkhize owed in taxes. Under curatorship, the club ceased paying player salaries, halted training, and was unable to fulfil fixtures.

The entire saga painted a bad image of South African football, as the Nedbank Cup was affected by the club’s inability to fulfil their fixtures.

After a failed auction to find new owners, the PSL’s board of governors voted to expel the club in April. All their remaining 11 league results were scrapped, and the league continued with just 15 teams, suspending automatic relegation – meaning only a play-off would decide the drop zone.

According to reports, Mkhize is now interested in buying Eswatini club Mbabane Highlanders.

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