FIFPRO and FABOL win key victory in defence of Bolivian footballers' rights

• With the support of FIFPRO and Bolivian player union FABOL, footballer Cristian Arano Ruiz recovered all salaries and compensation owed to him by Club Blooming since 2022
• Despite a favourable CAS ruling, coordinated work between the legal teams of FIFPRO and FABOL was necessary to ensure effective compliance with the decision
• Following FIFA's intervention and the imposition of disciplinary sanctions on the Bolivian Football Federation (FBF), the player finally received full payment of the debt

A landmark case in Bolivia has resulted in a local player recovering the full amount owed to him by a club, setting an important precedent for footballers in the country.

Thanks to the joint work of FIFPRO and Bolivian player union FABOL, Club Blooming were obliged to pay Cristian Arano Ruiz the full amount owed since 2022 in salaries, bonuses and other performance-related payments.

The legal dispute dates back to February 2023, and its resolution reinforces the importance of trade union representation and specialist legal support in ensuring footballers' rights are respected.

Despite obtaining a favourable ruling from CAS in May 2025, Arano Ruiz continued to be denied the amounts owed due to the club's non-compliance and the inaction of the Bolivian Football Federation (FBF).

FIFPRO and FABOL appealed to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, which on 21 November 2025 sanctioned the FBF under Article 21 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, entitled "Failure to Respect Decisions".

In its decision, the Disciplinary Committee found the FBF responsible for failing to execute the CAS ruling and gave it 30 days to resolve the situation and ensure Arano Ruiz was paid. In other words, the FBF's failure to enforce the CAS decision, which ordered Club Blooming – affiliated to the FBF – to pay the player certain amounts, constituted a breach of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

After the 30-day deadline passed without compliance from the FBF, FIFA withheld 20 percent of the federation's FIFA Forward Programme payment. In addition, it warned the FBF that a further 20 percent would be withheld if the non-compliance continued, and that additional sanctions could follow.

Finally, thanks to joint pressure from FIFPRO and FABOL through FIFA, Club Blooming settled the debt in full and the FBF was required to pay a fine to world football's governing body.

"FIFA generally intervenes only when it is an international dispute," said Dr Luis Caballero, FABOL's legal adviser. "For example, an Argentine footballer playing in Bolivia. What we have confirmed is that the competence of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee also applies to a Bolivian player against a Bolivian club when there is a breach by the Bolivian Football Federation, based on Article 21 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code."

CAS ruling in 2025 another setback for FBF

Arano Ruiz's case began at national level with a claim against Blooming, the club where he was contracted in 2022, over unpaid salaries, bonuses and goal bonuses.

In February 2023, supported by FABOL, Arano Ruiz brought the claim before the FBF's Dispute Resolution Tribunal (TRD). In October of that year, the TRD ruled in favour of the midfielder, but the club appealed to the FBF's High Court of Appeal (TSA).

Eleven months later, the TSA ruled that the TRD lacked jurisdiction to decide on bonuses and incentive payments, citing a 1993 Supreme Decree. It partially overturned the original decision and ordered Blooming to pay only the three outstanding salaries. The ruling closed the door for Arano Ruiz – and potentially any footballer in a similar situation – to claim bonuses and incentive payments through the sporting justice system, forcing him to pursue the matter through the civil and commercial courts.

Faced with this scenario, FIFPRO and FABOL took the case to CAS in October 2024 in defence of the player's rights. In May 2025, CAS ruled in favour of Arano Ruiz, annulling the TSA decision and ordering Blooming to pay the full amount claimed, plus five percent interest from September 2023.

In addition to the sanctions later imposed by FIFA, the ruling by the highest arbitral tribunal in world sport set an important precedent for future claims by Bolivian footballers relating to contractually agreed bonuses and performance-related payments. It confirmed that the TRD has jurisdiction over such disputes through the application of statutes and regulations issued by both the FBF and FIFA.

The legal support provided to Arano Ruiz and the subsequent victory reinforce the importance of FABOL's role in defending footballers' rights in Bolivia. FABOL is the only footballers' union in the country recognised by FIFPRO.

FIFPRO's legal work

The case of Cristian Arano Ruiz is one of many examples of the work carried out by FIFPRO and its member unions to ensure footballers receive what they are entitled to, and that judicial and sporting decisions are effectively enforced.

In recent months, FIFPRO and FIFPRO South America have contributed to the successful resolution of dozens of claims related to unpaid salaries, compensation and other outstanding financial obligations. In total, 59 cases resulted in clubs from different parts of the world settling their debts.

Among them is the case of three Uruguayan footballers who recovered part of a long-standing debt owed by an Iranian club for more than a decade.

Beyond the amounts involved, these cases highlight the importance of union representation, specialised legal support and effective enforcement mechanisms to ensure footballers' rights are not merely recognised in a ruling but translated into concrete results.