Uruguayan footballers collect debt after 13 years: "FIFPRO's help was invaluable"

• Iranian club Bargh Shiraz had been in debt to players Martin Barlocco and Michel Acosta since the 2011/12 season
• Despite sanctions imposed by FIFA, requested by FIFPRO, the club had not made the payments and had stopped competing officially
• New owners took over the club in July 2025 and FIFPRO managed to reach an agreement with them to resolve both cases

Perseverance in claiming payment of debts to footballers pays off – Uruguayan players Martin Barlocco and Michel Acosta are good examples of the success of not giving up the fight for what is rightfully theirs.

Represented by FIFPRO, both players recently reached an agreement with Iranian club Bargh Shiraz, which owed them money for 13 years for their contracts from the 2011/12 season.

"They owed me 50 percent of the total amount agreed for that season," Barlocco told FIFPRO.org. "Now, in the negotiations, we were able to reach an agreement whereby a percentage of that debt was recovered, which was satisfactory to both parties.

"I am more than happy because, to be honest, many years had passed and it seemed unlikely that we would ever get paid. We always had some hope, but the more time passed, the less hope we had."

The Uruguayan goalkeeper played five years in Iran and three at Bargh Shiraz, the last one in the 2011/12 season. When he did not receive the promised payments, he decided to turn to FIFA, which ruled in his favour. FIFPRO tried to enforce the decision on several occasions and FIFA imposed several sanctions on the club. Bargh Shiraz ceased to compete officially without having honoured its debts.

"FIFPRO's help throughout this time has been invaluable. Alexandra [Gomez Bruinewoud, FIFPRO's Legal Director] took on my case with great enthusiasm and did a great job, after the Uruguayan union initially won the claim against the club at FIFA and then followed up with the imposition of sanctions on the club when it was unwilling to pay," said Barlocco.

"Unfortunately, there was then a very long period during which the club stopped competing, but we always maintained communication with FIFPRO's lawyers so that the case would not be closed and so that we could all be on the lookout for any movement from the club, knowing that it had to fulfil its obligations or it would be impossible for them to play."

That movement came in early July, when Bargh Shiraz presented its new owners on its Instagram account and stated its intention to settle old debts as part of the process of returning to Iranian football. FIFPRO's legal department contacted the club to negotiate a payment for Barlocco and also for Acosta, who had approached FIFPRO in 2023.

"In Acosta's case, when FIFPRO tried to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the club, it received a letter from FIFA stating that no sanctions could be imposed as more than five years had passed since FIFA's CRD decision in 2015 without disciplinary proceedings having been initiated," explained Gomez Bruinewoud.

"In the end, he was also able to get paid, but this serves as a reminder to all footballers not to let their cases go. You always have to follow up, preferably with the help of your FIFPRO union, which also does this free of charge."

Within a few days, the club announced on social media that it had reached a payment agreement with both players.

"As a reflection, in these types of cases, when a club does not pay what it owes, especially to a player who is far from his family, far from his country, we must not give up and obviously we must turn to FIFPRO for help and support so that, as far as possible in the short, medium or long term, the players can get their money," said Barocco.

"I am truly grateful to the entire legal team. The truth is that from the very beginning, they were always extremely helpful in every way. On a human level, on a legal level... So, I have nothing but praise for those who did everything possible and were always on top of things. The way they resolved the situation was impeccable."

The 47-year-old goalkeeper, who is currently working as a goalkeeping coach at Rocha FC in Uruguay's second division, where he retired as a professional footballer last year, also wanted to highlight the "special affection" he feels for Bargh Shiraz, "one of the oldest clubs in Iran".

"It's a very nice club that I love very much, with wonderful people and team-mates with whom I am still in contact. It's not that they didn't pay me, they didn't pay anyone in those last few years. Not even the kit man. That year there was a change in management and a decline began that led the club to stop competing for a long time. I'm very happy about the arrival of this new management. I hope the club returns to competing at a very high level."