Leeds United have lost their Jean-Kevin Augustin case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport and are expected to pay RB Leipzig an opening instalment of €6.7m for the striker. The Whites intend to further appeal how CAS came to its decision.
The Whites loaned the French striker from the Bundesliga outfit in January 2020 with an obligation to buy him permanently for €21m in the event of promotion. However, United felt that loan, and its conditions, expired on June 30 of that year, before the Covid-delayed promotion was finalised.
Leipzig disagreed and felt United’s promotion, even if it was achieved in mid-July 2020, triggered the purchase obligation. They then took the matter to FIFA when Leeds failed to honour the agreement and pay their first instalment.
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FIFA would rule in Leipzig’s favour before Leeds took that decision to CAS on appeal. The Swiss body published its ruling this morning and dismissed United’s appeal, backing FIFA’s original call.
A CAS statement said: “CAS has issued its decision today in the arbitration procedure between Leeds United and RB Leipzig concerning the decision issued on June 1, 2021 by the Single Judge of the Players’ Status Committee of FIFA, which upheld RB Leipzig’s claim to be paid a transfer fee by Leeds in accordance with the purchase obligation included in the loan agreement concluded between the clubs and the player Jean-Kévin Augustin.
“The CAS panel in charge of the matter has dismissed the appeal filed by Leeds and confirmed the challenged decision in its entirety, including the obligation of Leeds to pay to RB Leipzig the first instalment of the transfer fee, i.e. €6,740,174.”
It added: “Following an exchange of written submissions, the CAS panel held a hearing with the parties on March 15, 2022. Further to its deliberations, the panel held the purchase obligation had been triggered at the end of the 2019/20 season, even though the season had concluded later than expected due to the disruption caused by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and confirmed the challenged decision in full, including the obligation of Leeds to pay to RB Leipzig the first instalment of the transfer fee, the two other instalments being not due yet, at the time of the FIFA procedure.”
A Leeds statement said: “Leeds United are surprised and disappointed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision, which not only contradicts the language and meaning of the contract, but also the practices adopted in European football under FIFA regulations, due to the unique impact of the extensions to the season necessitated by Covid postponements.
“The club will now review carefully all of its legal options with a view to an immediate appeal. We will make no further comment at this time.”
On whether CAS rulings can be further appealed, the CAS website states: “Judicial recourse to the Swiss Federal Tribunal is allowed on a very limited number of grounds, such as lack of jurisdiction, violation of elementary procedural rules (e.g. violation of the right to a fair hearing) or incompatibility with public policy.”
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