A commission charged by world football ruling body Fifa to resolve a conflict between Chelsea and Adrian Mutu has ruled that the Romanian international must pay his former club €12-million.
According to a report on the website of Mutu’s current club, Fiorentina, cited by the Mediafax agency, the commission ruled that Mutu must repay the Premier League club for revenues they claimed to have lost following his sacking for drugs use in 2004.
Chelsea signed Mutu for £15,8-million in the summer of 2003 but sacked him in October 2004 after he tested positive for cocaine during a doping control.
The club estimated that the affair, which led to Mutu serving a seven-month ban, cost them £13-million (€16,2-million) in lost revenue.
Mutu, currently with the Romanian national team in Switzerland preparing for their European Championships opener against France on June 9, is expected to appeal the decision, at a civil court. His lawyer told Romanian news channel Realitatea that Mutu would be doing so.
After serving his ban, Mutu signed for Juventus, only to be transferred to Fiorentina where he has resurrected his career. — AFP
