GENEVA: World sport’s top court on Tuesday made a final ruling in the controversial transfer of Egyptian goalkeeper Essam Al-Hadary in 2008, upholding FIFA’s four month ban on the player.
Football’s governing body had last year ordered a transfer ban on Sion and suspended Egypt’s star keeper for four months over his controversial move in February 2008 from Egyptian club Al-Ahly.
The suspension will now come into force next season, since both penalties had been frozen by the Court of Arbitration of Sport last year until it released its final ruling on appeals by Hadary and the Swiss side.
"The four-month suspension, which has not yet been served by the player, will come into effect at the beginning of the next season," the CAS confirmed in a statement on Tuesday.
The arbitrators threw out Sion’s appeal on technical grounds but upheld another part of Al-Hadary’s appeal by cutting compensation he was ordered to pay.
"The CAS has stated that the appeal of FC Sion Association (amateur club) was inadmissible," the court said.
"The appeal of Essam al-Hadary has been partially upheld and the CAS has reduced the financial compensation for breach of contract, which was initially fixed at €900,000 ($.1 million) by FIFA, to an amount of €647,000 ($796,500)."
Al-Hadary’s sudden mid-season move had sparked anger in Egypt in 2008, shortly after he helped his national side defend their Africa Cup of Nations title and Sion’s boss flew over to make him a lucrative offer.
He left the Swiss club about a year ago to return to Egypt.
