March 9 – High-flying Marseille went to court Wednesday in a dispute with English tier-two Watford over the 2020 signing of Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye.
After starting his career at Le Havre, Gueye was due to become a free agent in the summer of that year.
But a few weeks earlier, according to agency reports, he signed a pre-contract with Watford before changing his mind and agreeing a deal with Marseille.
Watford filed a case claiming breach of contract at FIFA’s disputes resolution chamber, which found in the club’s favour and imposed transfer bans on both Marseille and Gueye.
Marseille were reportedly also ordered to pay Watford €2.5 million. The punishments were put on hold pending an appeal verdict.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said Gueye – who faces a four-month playing ban by FIFA for breach of contract – attended the start of a two-day hearing in Lausanne, Switzerland. No target date has been set for the verdict.
Gueye played in three of his country’s games at the World Cup in Qatar. Just to make the case even more complicated, he is now on loan to Sevilla from Marseille.
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