Labour Disputes
Texto da decisão
REF. FPSD-20290
Decision of the
Dispute Resolution Chamber
passed on 16 October 2025
regarding an employment-related dispute concerning the player Noah
Kemeseng Sonko Sundberg
COMPOSITION:
Frans DE WEGER (The Netherlands), Chairperson
Johan VAN GAALEN (South Africa), Member
Calum BEATTIE (Scotland), Member
CLAIMANT:
Noah Kemeseng Sonko Sundberg, Sweden
Represented by Didem Sunna
RESPONDENT:
NET GLOBAL SIVASSPOR, Türkiye
pg. 2
REF. FPSD-20290
I. Facts of the case
1.
On 9 August 2024, the Swedish player, Noah Kemeseng Sonko Sundberg (hereinafter: the
Player or the Claimant), and the Turkish club, Net Global Sivasspor (hereinafter: the Club or
the Respondent) entered into an employment contract (hereinafter: the Contract) valid as
from 9 August 2024 until 30 June 2025.
2.
According to clause 3 of the Contract, the parties agreed that the Player would be entitled
to the total amount of EUR 400,000 net for the 2024/2025 season payable as follows:
01.09.2024
31.10.2024
30.11.2024
01.01.2025
31.01.2025
28.02.2025
01.04.2025
30.04.2025
31.05.2025
01.07.2025
3.
EUR 40,000
EUR 40,000
EUR 40,000
EUR 40,000
EUR 40,000
EUR 40,000
EUR 40,000
EUR 40,000
EUR 40,000
EUR 40,000
On 7 May 2025, the parties signed a protocol (hereinafter: the Agreement) stating the
following:
“Whereas the Parties previously signed the professional Football Player Contract with the
expiry date 30.06.2025, the Parties mutually drafted and signed the present Protocol to
determine the amount of receivables of the Player from the Club that became due and will
become due until 05.08.2025 to restructure them by amending their due dates.
1. The Parties agree that the Player has receivables from the Club in the total amount
of 200,000 Euro, which consists of the outstanding receivables of the Player, as well as
those that will become due until 05.08.2025. The Player hereby accepts, declares, and
undertakes that he does not have any other receivables from the Club, that became
due and will become due until 05.08.2025, apart from the amount of x- Euro as given
above, and that all other receivables were paid by the Club.
2. The Parties further agree that the receivables of the Player, that became due and will
become due until 50.08.2025, in the amount of x- Euro, will be paid to the Player by
the Club on 05.08.2025.
Within the scope of the above, and his agreement for the new due date, the Player
undertakes not to put the Club in default before 05.08.2025.”
pg. 3
REF. FPSD-20290
II. Proceedings before FIFA
4.
On 11 August 2025, the Claimant filed the claim at hand before FIFA. A summary of the
parties’ respective positions is detailed below.
a. Claim of the Claimant
5.
The Player lodged the present claim before FIFA for overdue payables arising from the
Contract.
6.
In particular, the Player requested the following relief:
“To condemn Sivasspor Kulübü to pay in favour of the Claimant the total unpaid and overdue
payment of Net EUR200.000.- along with the interest rate of 5% p.a. starting from the below
due dates until the date of effective payment;
• Net EUR 40.000.- along with its interest of 5% p.a. starting from 28 February 2025
until the date of effective payment,
• Net EUR 40.000.- along with its interest of 5% p.a. starting from 1 April 2025 until the
date of effective payment,
• Net EUR 40.000.- along with its interest of 5% p.a. starting from 30 April 2025 until
the date of effective payment,
• Net EUR 40.000.- along with its interest of 5% p.a. starting from 31 May 2025 until
the date of effective payment,
• Net EUR 40.000.- along with its interest of 5% p.a. starting from 1 July 2025 until the
date of effective payment”
b. Reply of the Respondent
7.
In its reply, the Club argued that the parties “freely novated the debt of the Respondent
towards the Claimant and its payment terms with the Protocol dates 07.05.2025, agreeing for
its payment on 05.08.2025.”
8.
In view of the above, the Club requested the DRC to reject the claim of the Claimant in its
entirety.
pg. 4
REF. FPSD-20290
c. Final Comments of the Claimant
9.
In view of the Respondent’s reply and the Agreement provided, the Player agreed with the
due date provided by the Respondent by stating that “the Claimant hereby accepts the stated
date and requests the applicable 5% interest rate to the non-paid amount of EUR 200,000 to be
set as 5 August 2025.”
10. Therefore, the Player ultimately requested the payment of Net EUR 200,000 arising from
the Agreement and 5% interest as from 5 August 2025 until the date of effective payment.
III. Considerations of the Dispute Resolution Chamber
a. Competence and applicable legal framework
11. First of all, the Dispute Resolution Chamber (hereinafter: the Chamber or DRC) analysed
whether it was competent to deal with the case at hand. In this respect, it took note that
the present matter was presented to FIFA on 11 August 2025 and submitted for decision
on 16 October 2025. Taking into account the wording of arts. 31 and 34 of the January 2025
edition of the Procedural Rules Governing the Football Tribunal (hereinafter: the Procedural
Rules), the aforementioned edition of the Procedural Rules is applicable to the matter at
hand.
12. Furthermore, the Chamber referred to art. 2 par. 1 of the Procedural Rules and observed
that in accordance with art. 23 par. 1 in combination with art. 22 par. 1 lit. b) of the
Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (hereinafter: the Regulations) (July 2025
edition), the Dispute Resolution Chamber is competent to deal with the matter at stake,
which concerns an employment-related dispute with an international dimension between
a Swedish player and a Turkish club.
13. Subsequently, the Chamber analysed which regulations should be applicable as to the
substance of the matter. In this respect, it confirmed that, in accordance with art. 29 of the
Regulations, the July 2025 edition of the Regulations is applicable to the matter at hand as
to the substance.
b. Burden of proof
14. The Chamber recalled the basic principle of burden of proof, as stipulated in art. 13
par. 5 of the Procedural Rules, according to which a party claiming a right on the basis of
an alleged fact shall carry the respective burden of proof. Likewise, the Chamber stressed
the wording of art. 13 par. 4 of the Procedural Rules, pursuant to which it may consider
pg. 5
REF. FPSD-20290
evidence not filed by the parties, including without limitation the evidence generated by or
within the Transfer Matching System (TMS).
c. Merits of the dispute
15. Having established the competence and the applicable regulations, the Chamber entered
into the merits of the dispute. In this respect, the Chamber started by acknowledging all
the above-mentioned facts as well as the arguments and the documentation on file.
However, the Chamber emphasised that in the following considerations it will refer only to
the facts, arguments and documentary evidence, which it considered pertinent for
assessing the matter at hand.
i. Main legal discussion and considerations
16. The Chamber then moved to the substance of the matter, and took note of the fact that
the parties strongly dispute the amount that remained outstanding from their contractual
relationship as well as its due date.
17. In this context, the Chamber acknowledged that its task was to determine which amount,
if any, remained outstanding and its contractual basis.
18. In this regard, the Chamber took note of the fact that the Player requested the amount of
EUR 200,000 arising from the Agreement that fell due on 5 August 2025.
19. The Chamber also noted that the Club requested that the DRC reject the Player’s claim in
its entirety. However, the Club failed to discharge its burden of proof, as it did not provide
any evidence that the amount claimed had been paid.
20. Consequently, and in view of the principle of pacta sunt servanda, the Chamber decided to
award the Player the amount of EUR 200,000.
21. Finally, taking into consideration the Claimant’s request as well as the constant practice of
the Football Tribunal in this regard, the Chamber decided to award the Claimant interest
at the rate of 5% p.a. on the outstanding amounts as from 6 August 2025 until the date of
effective payment.
ii. Compliance with monetary decisions
22. Finally, taking into account the applicable Regulations, the Chamber referred to art. 24 par.
1 and 2 of the Regulations, which stipulate that, with its decision, the pertinent FIFA
deciding body shall also rule on the consequences deriving from the failure of the
concerned party to pay the relevant amounts of outstanding remuneration and/or
compensation in due time.
pg. 6
REF. FPSD-20290
23. In this regard, the DRC highlighted that, against clubs, the consequence of the failure to
pay the relevant amounts in due time shall consist of a ban from registering any new
players, either nationally or internationally, up until the due amounts are paid. The overall
maximum duration of the registration ban shall be of up to three entire and consecutive
registration periods.
24. Therefore, bearing in mind the above, the DRC decided that the Respondent must pay the
full amount due (including all applicable interest) to the Claimant within 45 days of
notification of the decision, failing which, at the request of the Claimant, a ban from
registering any new players, either nationally or internationally, for the maximum duration
of three entire and consecutive registration periods shall become immediately effective on
the Respondent in accordance with art. 24 par. 2, 4, and 7 of the Regulations.
25. The Respondent shall make full payment (including all applicable interest) to the bank
account provided by the Claimant in the Bank Account Registration Form, which is attached
to the present decision.
26. The DRC recalled that the above-mentioned ban will be lifted immediately and prior to its
complete serving upon payment of the due amounts, in accordance with art. 24 par. 8 of
the Regulations.
d. Costs
27. The Chamber referred to art. 25 par. 1 of the Procedural Rules, according to which
“Procedures are free of charge where at least one of the parties is a player, coach, football agent,
or match agent”. Accordingly, the Chamber decided that no procedural costs were to be
imposed on the parties.
28. Likewise, and for the sake of completeness, the Chamber recalled the contents of art. 25
par. 8 of the Procedural Rules and decided that no procedural compensation shall be
awarded in these proceedings.
29. Lastly, the DRC concluded its deliberations by rejecting any other requests for relief made
by any of the parties.
pg. 7
REF. FPSD-20290
IV. Decision of the Dispute Resolution Chamber
1.
The claim of the Claimant, Noah Kemeseng Sonko Sundberg, is partially accepted.
2.
The Respondent, NET GLOBAL SIVASSPOR, must pay the Claimant the following amounts:
- EUR 200,000 as outstanding remuneration plus 5% interest p.a. as from 6 August 2025
until the date of effective payment.
3.
Any further claims of the Claimant are rejected.
4.
Full payment (including all applicable interest) shall be made to the bank account indicated
in the enclosed Bank Account Registration Form.
5.
Pursuant to art. 24 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, if full payment
(including all applicable interest) is not made within 45 days of notification of this decision,
the following consequences shall apply:
1. The Respondent shall be banned from registering any new players, either nationally or
internationally, up until the due amount is paid. The maximum duration of the ban shall
be of up to three entire and consecutive registration periods.
2. The present matter shall be submitted, upon request, to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee
in the event that full payment (including all applicable interest) is still not made by the
end of the three entire and consecutive registration periods.
6.
The consequences shall only be enforced at the request of the Claimant in accordance
with art. 24 par. 7 and 8 and art. 25 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players.
7.
This decision is rendered without costs.
For the Football Tribunal:
Emilio García Silvero
Chief Legal & Compliance Officer
pg. 8
REF. FPSD-20290
NOTE RELATED TO THE APPEAL PROCEDURE:
According to art. 50 par. 1 of the FIFA Statutes, this decision may be appealed against before
the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within 21 days of receipt of the notification of this
decision.
NOTE RELATED TO THE PUBLICATION:
FIFA may publish this decision. For reasons of confidentiality, FIFA may decide, at the request
of a party within five days of the notification of the motivated decision, to publish an
anonymised or a redacted version (cf., art. 17 of the Procedural Rules Governing the Football
Tribunal).
CONTACT INFORMATION
Fédération Internationale de Football Association – Legal & Compliance Division
396 Alhambra Circle, 6th floor, Coral Gables, Miami, Florida, USA 33134
legal.fifa.com | [email protected] | T: +41 (0)43 222 7777
pg. 9