CAS RULES IN OUR FAVOUR IN GNAGNON CASE

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has ruled that the dismissal of the player Joris Gnagnon was justified given that he failed to maintain appropriate weight and fitness levels. The Court's judgement is that the club acted legally and appropriately and that this was not a case of unfair dismissal.

The ruling ends a long procedure that began after the player's post-pandemic return to the club, in which he arrived severely overweight. This was not rectified despite four disciplinary proceedings that were brought against him. The player had the opportunity to comply with the prescriptions and advice of the medical and nutrition staff in order to regain his fitness, but failure to do so on his own initiative resulted in him being dismissed.

The player filed a claim with the Spanish courts, which he eventually withdrew and appealed to FIFA, who rejected his claim, before finally appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which ruled in favor of the club on the just cause for dismissal and pointed to the evidence presented in the four disciplinary files and the testimonial statements made. The professionalism of the club was ruled to be exemplary and remains faultless, establishing and reinfocing an important legal precedent for future similar cases.

The player has been ordered to pay the arbitration fees, as well as to assume part of the club's legal costs. This outcome also benefits the position of other clubs in Europe when dealing with similar situations, which until now seemed more challenging to solve.