Source: Team_Talk
Mutu told to pay Chelsea compensation
Adrian Mutu has been ordered to pay former club Chelsea over 17million euros after losing his final appeal in a legal battle with the club.[LNB] The court confirmed this morning that they have upheld the decision made by FIFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport, drawing what should be a final line under a fight which has lasted over five years.[LNB]Chelsea paid Parma 22.5million euros (around £15.8million) for Mutu in August 2003 but sacked him in September 2004 when he tested positive for cocaine, before then suing him to recover the money they paid to sign him.[LNB]The incident has dogged the Romania international ever since. FIFA ordered him to pay 17million euros to Chelsea, and his appeal to the CAS failed.[LNB]Mutu was given a glimmer of hope when the Swiss Federal Court temporarily suspended the fine, but they have now decided the 31-year-old must pay the full amount plus interest.[LNB]In a statement they said: "In a ruling on June 10, 2010, the Swiss Federal Court rejected the appeal formed by Adrian Mutu against the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).[LNB]"The CAS ordered the Romanian professional footballer to pay a sum superior to 17million euros to his former employer, Chelsea Football Club Limited (Chelsea)."[LNB]The court was keen to highlight that they were unable to make a ruling on the actual decision but rather just the sum involved - 17,173,990 euros plus interest.[LNB]The statement continued: "(The court) first rejected the arguments by which the footballer questioned the impartiality of two of the three arbitrators who rendered the decision.[LNB]"On those merits, the Federal Court recalled that, in the field of international arbitration, it does not retry the case, as a court of appeal would, but can check only certain aspects very limited to the basis of recorded facts in the imposed sentence.[LNB]"In this case, the Federal Court had only to consider whether the amount of damages/interest allocated to the London club violated the core values that all judicial systems should follow.[LNB]"They came to the conclusion that this was not the case, so that the Romanian footballer's appeal was unfounded."[LNB]It is unclear whether Mutu - who has also been ordered to pay court costs - will be able to pay the full amount after reports in Romania last year suggested the striker was bankrupt.[LNB]Mutu served a seven-month ban from football before rebuilding his career first at Juventus and then at Fiorentina, who bought him from the Bianconeri for 8million euros in July 2006.[LNB]The Viola star is currently serving a nine-month ban after testing positive for anti-obesity drug sibutramine in January, and will be allowed to return to football on October 29.[LNB]Chelsea have declined to comment.
