CAS confirms ban on Guinea's Bangoura Sentence upholds FIFA's four-month ban imposed on Bangoura as well as 4.5 million euros compensation Guinean international and French side Nantes are ruled to pay to UAE's Nasr
Newly promoted French club Nantes pledged Monday to take its case to Switzerland's supreme court after failing to overturn a FIFA ban on recruiting players for next season. The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday upheld a one-year transfer embargo imposed for breach of contract when Nantes recruited forward Ismael Bangoura from Al Nasr of Dubai in January 2012. Nantes is the highest profile club that FIFA has barred from the transfer market since Chelsea in 2009. However, that one-year ban was ended by an out-of-court settlement with French club Lens. Nantes' final appeal at the highest Swiss court seeks to annul or suspend a punishment that runs through to January's midseason trading window — likely wrecking coach Michel Der Zakarian's teambuilding plans. "Nantes intends to take the case as soon as possible to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, which has jurisdiction in this matter," the club said in a statement. "To obtain an annulment of the sentence and, in the first instance, the suspension of its effects." Switzerland's highest court can intervene if legal process was abused rather than examine the merits of the case. With the French offseason transfer period starting next week, Nantes wants to bolster a squad that won promotion to the top tier by finishing third in Ligue 2 behind big-spending champion Monaco and Guingamp. Still, it can formally appeal only when it receives the detailed verdict from CAS. The sports court said that would be provided at "a later date" after issuing just its panel's decision Monday. "The decision of the FIFA dispute resolution chamber has been confirmed in its entirety," CAS said in a statement. Nantes and Bangour were guilty of "unilateral termination of the contract without just cause during a protected period," the court said. Nantes, Bangoura and Al Nasr all filed appeals challenging verdicts from football's world governing body announced in February. FIFA ruled that Nantes induced Bangoura to break his contract with Al Nasr, rejecting counter claims that the Guinea forward was allowed to leave because his salary wasn't paid. Bangoura appealed to CAS against a four-month ban imposed by FIFA. He has already served three months of the sanction and spent much of last season on loan to a club in Qatar. CAS rejected Al Nasr's request for increased compensation after FIFA awarded the club 4.5 million euros ($5.8 million). Nantes and Bangoura are jointly liable to pay the sum. In Chelsea's case, FIFA imposed a one-year embargo after ruling that the Premier League club induced teenager Gael Kakuta to leave Lens. Chelsea succeeded at CAS in freezing the sanction before settling the case with Lens. Swiss club Sion served a one-year transfer ban in a chaotic case that overshadowed its 2011-12 season after trying, and failing, to defy FIFA and UEFA jurisdiction. That case involved Egypt goalkeeper Essam Al Hadary. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter [email protected] Sportsand on Facebook atAhramOnlineSports) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/73078.aspx
