Tunisian club Esperance striker faces suspension from FIFA

Lucas Ribeiro, the Brazilian forward of Espérance de Tunis, has received another blow in his legal battle with Mamelodi Sundowns after FIFA ordered him to pay $4 million to the club following his unilateral contract termination last year.

Miki Junior has revealed via his account on the platform 'X' that FIFA's dispute room has held Ribeiro financially responsible for terminating his contract with Sundowns, after considering that the contract was terminated in a manner that warrants compensation.

The situation did not stop at the first decision, as the Brazilian player failed to overturn the penalty through appeal, leaving him required to pay the compensation amount set in favor of the South African club.

According to the same reports, Ribeiro has been given a 45-day deadline to comply with the decision and pay the $4 million amount. If he fails to comply within the specified period, he may face additional penalties from FIFA, including a suspension from playing football, which could prevent him from registering or participating with any club.

The crisis begins with Sundowns.

The dispute dates back to the summer of 2025 when Ribeiro decided to terminate his contract with Mamelodi Sundowns, citing what he described as a 'legitimate reason', while the South African club rejected this stance, asserting that the player had breached his contractual obligations.

The Brazilian forward joined Sundowns in July 2023 from Belgian club Beveren after an impressive season in the Belgian Second Division 2022-2023, during which he scored 11 goals and provided 8 assists, before signing a long-term contract with the South African team.

Ribeiro has quickly established himself as a key player for Sundowns, before his value increased further following his standout performances with the team during the 2025 Club World Cup, which attracted the attention of several clubs looking to sign him.

However, the relationship between the two parties has entered a phase of tension, amid the player's desire to leave and experience a new challenge outside South Africa, where he has attracted interest from several clubs, including Qatari club Qatar SC, but negotiations have not reached a final agreement.

According to Ribeiro's legal representative, the financial demands set by Sundowns have made the player's transfer to another club extremely difficult, leading to a legal dispute before the relevant bodies of FIFA.

Ribeiro is relying on the Diarra case.

In his defense, the player referred to the legal implications of the case involving Frenchman Lassana Diarra, which sparked widespread debate about certain player transfer rules and contracts, arguing that the circumstances surrounding his departure from Sundowns grant him the right to terminate the contract.

However, FIFA's dispute resolution chamber did not accept this position and issued its decision obliging Ribeiro to pay $4 million to the South African club. The player then lost the appeal he filed against the decision, making him required to fulfill the financial penalty.

After leaving Sundowns, Ribeiro moved to Spanish club Cultural Leonesa, before his time with the team ended in the summer of 2026, becoming a free agent. He then chose to move to Tunisian side Espérance.

Espérance announced on August 14, 2026, that they have officially signed Brazilian forward for three seasons, extending until June 2029, after negotiations that saw competition from Libyan club Al-Ittihad, which was also seeking to secure the player's services.

Ribeiro is set to return to competitive action with Espérance after the international break, when the team hosts Olympique Béja on October 10, in the 5th round of the Tunisian League, at the Hammadi Agrebi Stadium in Rades.