F.I.F.A. – Dispute Resolution Chamber / Camera di Risoluzione delle Controversie – overdue payables / debiti scaduti – (2017-2018) – fifa.com – atto non ufficiale – Decision 23 November 2017

Decision of the

Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) judge

passed on 23 November 2017,

by Jon Newman (USA), DRC judge,

on the claim presented by the player,

Player A, Country B

as Claimant

against the club,

Club C, Country D

as Respondent

regarding an employment-related dispute

between the parties in connection with overdue payables

I. Facts of the case

1. On 4 July 2016, the player of Country B, Player A (hereinafter: the Claimant), and the club of Country D, Club C (hereinafter: the Respondent), signed an employment contract valid for the “2016-2017 football season”.

2. In accordance with clause 3.1 of the employment contract, the Respondent undertook to pay to the Claimant the amount of EUR 35,000 for the duration of the contract.

3. By correspondence dated 31 July 2017, the Claimant put the Respondent in default of payment of EUR 17,500 for the period between January 2017 and the end of the season setting a 10 days’ time limit in order to remedy the default.

4. On 25 September 2017, the Claimant lodged a claim against the Respondent in front of FIFA asking that the Respondent be ordered to pay to him overdue payables in the amount of EUR 17,500.

5. The Claimant further asks to be awarded interest of 5% p.a. as from the day following each respective due date and that the Respondent be ordered to pay legal and procedural costs.

6. In spite of having been invited to do so, the Respondent has not replied to the claim.

II. Considerations of the DRC judge

1. First of all, the Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) judge (hereinafter: the DRC judge) analysed whether it was competent to deal with the matter at hand. In this respect, he took note that the present matter was submitted to FIFA on 25 September 2017. Consequently, the 2017 edition of the Rules Governing the Procedures of the Players’ Status Committee and the Dispute Resolution Chamber (hereinafter: Procedural Rules) are applicable to the matter at hand (cf. art. 21 of the Procedural Rules).

2. Subsequently, the DRC judge referred to art. 3 par. 2 and par. 3 of the Procedural Rules and confirmed that in accordance with art. 24 par. 1 and par. 2 in conjunction with art. 22 lit. b of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (edition 2016) he is competent to deal with the matter at stake, which concerns an employment-related dispute with an international dimension between a player of Country B and a club of Country D.

3. Furthermore, the DRC judge analyzed which regulations should be applicable as to the substance of the matter. In this respect, he confirmed that in accordance with art. 26 par. 1 and par. 2 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (edition 2016) and considering that the present claim was lodged on 25 September 2017, the 2016 edition of said regulations (hereinafter: Regulations) is applicable to the matter at hand as to the substance.

4. The competence of the DRC judge and the applicable regulations having been established, the DRC judge entered into the substance of the matter. In this respect, the DRC judge started by acknowledging all the above-mentioned facts as well as the arguments and the documentation on file. However, the DRC judge emphasized that in the following considerations he will refer only to the facts, arguments and documentary evidence, which he considered pertinent for the assessment of the matter at hand. Moreover, the DRC judge recalled that in accordance with art. 6 par. 3 of Annexe 3 of the Regulations, FIFA may use, within the scope of proceedings pertaining to the application of the Regulations, any documentation or evidence generated or contained in the Transfer Matching System (hereinafter: TMS).

5. Having said this, the DRC judge acknowledged that the Claimant and the Respondent signed an employment contract on 4 July 2016 valid for the “2016-2017 football season” in accordance with which the Claimant was entitled to receive from the Respondent, inter alia, an amount of EUR 35,000. In this regard, the DRC judge also observed that according to the information in TMS, the 2016-2017 football season of Country D started on 21 August 2016 and ended on 31 May 2017.

6. The DRC judge noted that, on 25 September 2017, the Claimant lodged a claim against the Respondent in front of FIFA, maintaining that the Respondent has overdue payables towards him in the total amount of EUR 17,500.

7. In this context, the DRC judge took particular note of the fact that, on 31 July 2017, the Claimant put the Respondent in default of payment of the aforementioned amount, setting a 10 days’ time limit in order to remedy the default.

8. Consequently, the DRC judge concluded that the Claimant had duly proceeded in accordance with art. 12bis par. 3 of the Regulations, which stipulates that the Claimant must have put the debtor club in default in writing and have granted a deadline of at least ten days for the debtor club to comply with its financial obligation(s).

9. Subsequently, the DRC judge took into account that the Respondent, for its part, failed to present its response to the claim of the Claimant, in spite of having been invited to do so. In this way, the DRC judge considered that the Respondent renounced its right to defence and thus accepted the allegations of the Claimant.

10. Furthermore, as a consequence of the aforementioned consideration, the DRC judge concurred that in accordance with art. 9 par. 3 of the Procedural Rules he shall take a decision upon the basis of the documents already on file, in other words, upon the statements and documents presented by the Claimant.

11. Taking into account the documentation presented by the Claimant in support of his petition, the DRC judge concluded that the Claimant had substantiated his claim pertaining to overdue payables with sufficient documentary evidence.

12. On account of the aforementioned considerations, the DRC judge established that the Respondent failed to remit the Claimant’s remuneration in the total amount of EUR 17,500.

13. In addition, the DRC judge established that the Respondent had delayed a due payment for more than 30 days without a prima facie contractual basis.

14. Consequently, the DRC judge decided that, in accordance with the general legal principle of pacta sunt servanda, the Respondent is liable to pay to the Claimant overdue payables in the total amount of EUR 17,500.

15. Furthermore, the DRC judge pointed out that the contract does not clearly indicates a due date of payment and that the contract ran until 31 May 2017 (end of the 2016-2017 football season of Country D). In this regard, and taking into account the Claimant’s request as well as the constant practice of the Dispute Resolution Chamber, the DRC judge decided that the Respondent must pay to the Claimant interest of 5% p.a. on the amount of EUR 17,500 as from the day following the due date, 1 June 2017, until the date of effective payment.

16. In continuation, taking into account the consideration under number II./13. above, the DRC judge referred to art.12bis par. 2 of the Regulations which stipulates that any club found to have delayed a due payment for more than 30 days without a prima facie contractual basis may be sanctioned in accordance with art. 12bis par. 4 of the Regulations.

17. The DRC judge established that in virtue of art. 12bis par. 4 of the Regulations he has competence to impose sanctions on the Respondent. Bearing in mind that the Respondent did not reply to the claim of the Claimant and that the Respondent has previously been found by the Dispute Resolution Chamber to have neglected its contractual obligations on multiple occasions in the recent past, the DRC judge decided to impose a fine on the Respondent in accordance with art. 12bis par. 4 lit. c) of the Regulations. On this basis and taking into consideration the amount due of EUR 17,500, the DRC judge regarded a fine amounting to CHF 6,000 as appropriate and hence decided to impose said fine on the Respondent.

18. In this connection, the DRC judge wished to highlight that a repeated offence will be considered as an aggravating circumstance and lead to more severe penalty in accordance with art. 12bis par. 6 of the Regulations.

19. Furthermore, as regards the claimed legal expenses and procedural costs, the DRC judge referred to art. 18 par. 4 of the Procedural Rules as well as to the long-standing and well-established jurisprudence of the DRC, in accordance with which no procedural compensation shall be awarded in proceedings in front of the Dispute Resolution Chamber. Consequently, the DRC judge decided to reject the Claimant’s request relating to legal expenses and procedural costs.

20. The DRC judge concluded his deliberations in the present matter by establishing that any further claim lodged by the Claimant is rejected.

III. Decision of the DRC judge

1. The claim of the Claimant, Player A, is partially accepted.

2. The Respondent, Club C, has to pay to the Claimant, within 30 days as from the date of notification of this decision, overdue payables in the amount of EUR 17,500, plus interest at the rate of 5% p.a. as from 1 June 2017 until the date of effective payment.

3. In the event that the amount plus interest due to the Claimant is not paid by the Respondent within the stated time limit, the present matter shall be submitted, upon request, to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee for consideration and a formal decision.

4. Any further claim lodged by the Claimant is rejected.

5. The Claimant is directed to inform the Respondent immediately and directly of the account number to which the remittance is to be made and to notify the DRC judge of every payment received.

6. The Respondent is ordered to pay a fine in the amount of CHF 6,000. The fine is to be paid within 30 days of notification of the present decision to FIFA to the following bank account with reference to case nr.XXX:

UBS Zurich

Account number 366.677.01U (FIFA Players’ Status)

Clearing number 230

IBAN: CH27 0023 0230 3666 7701U

SWIFT: UBSWCHZH80A

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Note relating to the motivated decision (legal remedy):

According to article 58 par. 1 of the FIFA Statutes, this decision may be appealed against before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The statement of appeal must be sent to the CAS directly within 21 days of receipt of notification of this decision and shall contain all the elements in accordance with point 2 of the directives issued by the CAS, a copy of which we enclose hereto. Within another 10 days following the expiry of the time limit for filing the statement of appeal, the appellant shall file a brief stating the facts and legal arguments giving rise to the appeal with the CAS (cf. point 4 of the directives).

The full address and contact numbers of the CAS are the following:

Court of Arbitration for Sport

Avenue de Beaumont 2

1012 Lausanne

Switzerland

Tel: +41 21 613 50 00

Fax: +41 21 613 50 01

e-mail: info@tas-cas.org

For the DRC judge:

Omar Ongaro

Football Regulatory Director

Encl: CAS directives