The Court of Arbitration for Sport has partially rejected the appeal of Sheriff Tiraspol club regarding the initial decision of FIFA, to pay compensation for the termination of the contract of the former player of the team, Luis Mateo Ortiz Lara. According to FIFA, the player terminated the contract unilaterally, but with just cause, as a result of the club’s behavior, reports IPN.

The dispute concerns the termination of the employment contract signed in January 2024 and valid until the end of 2025. The player notified FIFA after citing several breaches of contractual obligations by the club. Among the actions cited are exclusion from team activities, limited access to the club’s infrastructure, and the lack of a response to the player’s requests to continue his activity.

FIFA has obliged the Tiraspol club to pay the player 7 thousand dollars in outstanding salary and 112 thousand dollars in compensation for the termination of the contract, plus 5% interest per year starting from September 2024, until the debt is extinguished. Sheriff has contested the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, invoking the existence of a mutual termination agreement.

The CAS found that there was not enough evidence that such an agreement had been signed by the player and upheld the FIFA decision, but reduced the compensation amount to $81.7 thousand, maintaining the payment of $7 thousand for the outstanding salary. The reason is related to the fact that the player had signed with another football club, including for a period already covered by the previous contract with Sheriff Tiraspol.

Defensive midfielder Luis Mateo Ortiz Lara played for Sheriff Tiraspol in the 2023-2024 season and marked 6 matches in the “wasps'” jersey, recording an assist.