Juventus striker Adrian Mutu has lost his appeal regarding his sacking from former club Chelsea.
The decision, which also allows Chelsea to seek compensation against the player, was reached on Friday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland.
The Premier League club ended the contract of the Romanian international in October 2004 after he tested positive for cocaine.
Mutu, now with Juventus, believed he had not breached his contract and argued that Chelsea terminated the contract.
“The player’s admitted use of cocaine constitutes the ‘unilateral breach without just cause’ provided by the FIFA regulations and triggers the consequences deriving thereof, no matter whether this breach causes the club to give notice of termination or whether the club continues to hold on to and insist upon performance of the contract despite the player’s breach,” a CAS statement said.
The ruling permits Chelsea to claim compensation from the player.
“This CAS decision solves the dispute related to the possibility for Chelsea FC to proceed further to seek compensation and sporting sanctions from the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber in this case, with another possible appeal before CAS at a later stage.”
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