€4m solidarity cash lost as Brescia faces liquidation

Massimo Cellino faces a fresh setback as the roughly €4 million solidarity payment linked to Sandro Tonali’s transfer to Tottenham Hotspur will be diverted to a FIFA fund following Brescia Calcio’s financial collapse. The payment, which Brescia was set to receive as a development fee, is now lost amid the club’s liquidation.

The money stems from FIFA solidarity contributions triggered by Tonali’s move to Roberto De Zerbi’s Spurs, as reported by MilanNews.it. Those contributions are normally shared with clubs that helped develop the player, and Brescia was entitled to its slice.

Brescia helped develop the midfielder and therefore qualified for a share of the deal. To preserve that right, Cellino re‑activated the club’s dormant registration on 30 June and even entered an Under‑16 side in a provincial league, solely to keep the club eligible for the solidarity payment.

The club’s financial collapse culminated on 28 July when the Tribunale di Brescia declared judicial liquidation, ending 114 years of history. The ruling followed Brescia’s exclusion from the professional leagues for missed financial deadlines and a debt burden of about €20 million.

Cellino, whose full name is Massimo Cellino, has vowed to appeal the liquidation decision. “I hope this decision is still reversible,” he told Italpress, adding that a “big error of interpretation” and harm to creditors must be avoided.

He indicated that a formal challenge is likely, pointing to a communication error in the handling of the case that has never been fully clarified.