Jan 18, 2024, 06:44 AM ET
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled in favour of Sevilla regarding the dismissal of defender Joris Gnagnon.
CAS ruled Sevilla had just cause to terminate Gnagnon’s contract and ordered the player to pay the costs of the proceedings, the Spanish club confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.
The French centre-back was sacked by Sevilla in September 2021 after long-term concerns over the player’s professionalism and physical condition.
Joris Gnagnon joined Sevilla in July 2018 but was sacked by the Spanish club in September 2021. Quality Sport Images/Getty Images
The grounds raised by Sevilla to justify Gnagnon’s termination were “the player’s alleged overweight situation and his multiple delays to training sessions.”
Gnagnon, whose contract with Sevilla was due to expire in June 2023, appealed to CAS for unlawful dismissal, demanding millions of euros in compensation.
Gnagnon had earlier turned to FIFA but football’s governing body rejected his claim as “inadmissible” since the player had already filed a labour dispute in a Spanish court.
The Spanish court closed Gnagnon’s case because he did not attend the mandatory hearing.
Gnagnon, who had joined Sevilla in the summer of 2018 in a €13.5 million ($14.7m) transfer from Rennes, made just seven LaLiga appearances in his three years at the club.
According to the verdict, the player weight parameters expected by the club was reasonable. Moreover, Sevilla attempted to help the player and repeatedly warned Gnagnon of the consequences of not abiding by the guidelines set by the club.
Different medical check-ups carried out by the club indicated that the player was overweight.
Gnagnon, 27, has been without a club since leaving St Etienne in May 2022.
He had joined the French side as a free agent four months after being dismissed by Sevilla.
