A shocking revelation has been made regarding Brazilian attacker Lucas Ribeiro Costa.
Ribeiro has fought to have his contract with Mamelodi Sundowns terminated, going to the FIFA Football Tribunal. Costa has been linked with a move to Qatar SC, but indications are that there has been no club-to-club agreement for him to make a move.
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Ribeiro attracted a lot of attention after his performances at the FIFA Club World Cup, as clubs made contact with Sundowns for the player.
According to a document sent to Soccer Laduma by attorney Jean-Louis Dupont, who represents Ribeiro, the player terminated his contract on 1 August 2025.
"Lucas Ribeiro Costa, a professional football player of Brazilian nationality, announces that he has terminated his employment contract with the South-African club Mamelodi Sundowns FC on 1 August 2025," the statement reads.
It continued: "Lucas Ribeiro Costa recently participated with Mamelodi Sundowns FC in the FIFA Club World Cup, where he was awarded the prize for the best goal of the tournament.
"In light of this termination of contract, Lucas Ribeiro Costa has referred the matter to the FIFA Football Tribunal for a ruling on the consequences of this termination with his former club."
The player broke his silence on the matter in the same statement sent out to the media on Thursday morning.
"I believe that I have just cause to terminate my contract with Mamelodi Sundowns FC, which I will explain before the FIFA Football Tribunal. However, in any event, following the Diarra ruling by the CJEU, there is no doubt that the dispute between me and my former club will not prevent me from continuing my career with peace of mind: indeed, following its own regulations (as amended in light of the Diarra judgement), FIFA will see to it that the international transfer certificate be immediately delivered upon request by my future employer.
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I have received expressions of interest from various clubs, including some within the European Union, and I will now consider what is best for the future of my career in order to make the right choice, i.e. the one that will allow me to flourish as a sportsman and try to provide for the future of my family, knowing that a player's career is short and unpredictable.
As a reminder, following the DIARRA ruling, my next employer will not be involved in the dispute between me and Mamelodi Sundowns FC, neither from a disciplinary perspective nor financially."
The statement further revealed that Qatar SC made a good offer for Ribeiro, but Sundowns did not accept it.
"Qatar SC had sent Mamelodi Sundowns a particularly generous transfer offer (well above the player's valuation by Transfermarkt) for Lucas Ribeiro Costa, who wanted to join the Qatari club. However, Mamelodi Sundowns attempted to drive up the price, again and again, in an unreasonable manner, without any regard for the player's personal interests, which made the deal impossible. Lucas Ribeiro Costa has therefore now no other choice than defending his legitimate interests in the FIFA Tribunal, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and possibly in any competent State Court."
