RMC Sport report this evening that Lille are surprised to have been sentenced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to pay a compensation fee to Sporting CP for Rafael Leão’s unilateral contract termination.
The Portuguese forward, now at Milan, joined Lille in 2018 on a free transfer after terminating his contract in Lisbon. He was sentenced in 2020 to pay €16.5m to his former club.
Lille could now be set to appeal the CAS’ latest decision, notably in light of two contradictory decisions: the Portuguese court of sports arbitration had previously found Lille not guilty. An appeal would be sent before FIFA, should they following the CAS decision, sets a transfer fee for the striker.
RMC Sport also report that Les Dogues are lamenting the lingering of the case which harks back to the presidency of Gérard Lopez – now of Bordeaux. The current management have inherited a complicated financial situation and are faced with other cases, such as the Italian investigation into Victor Osimhen’s transfer and the conflict with Royel Excel Mouscron.