Labour Disputes
Texto da decisão
REF. FPSD-20396
Decision of the
Dispute Resolution Chamber
passed on 14 November 2025
regarding an employment-related dispute concerning
the player Paula Alexandra Valbuena Novoa
BY:
Stijn BOEYKENS, Belgium
CLAIMANT:
Paula Alexandra Valbuena Novoa, Colombia
Represented by Ivan Bykovskiy
RESPONDENT:
ZHFK Ljuboten, North Macedonia
pg. 2
REF. FPSD-20396
I. Facts of the case
1.
On 12 August 2024, the Colombian player Paula Alexandra Valbuena Novoa (hereinafter:
the Player or the Claimant) and the North Macedonian club ZHFK Ljuboten (hereinafter: the
Club or the Respondent) entered into an employment contract (hereinafter: the Contract)
valid as from the date of signature until 14 June 2025.
2.
Clause 13 of the Contract establishes (quoted verbatim):
“Salary
Article 13
Upon the performed work tasks, the football player has the right to salary.
The Employer regulates the categorization of the football players, salary, benefits,
premiums, penalties etc., with regulations on rewarding and disciplinary measures.
The monthly net salary cannot be lower than the minimum salary determined in a social
dialogue between the clubs and the Football Players’ Syndicate, confirmed by the
Executive Committee of FFM.
The monthly net salary of the football player amounts to 45000 denars, or 800USD.
The salary is paid once a month, no later than the fifteenth of the current month for the
previous month, on the transactions account of the football player.
With each paid salary the football player receives a written calculation for the gross
salary with paid contributions in accordance with the Law.
Bonuses for championship title in domestic league: 500usd (once time)
Bonuses for Chapmions league games:
Wining first game and wining second 1000usd (once time)
Wining first game and lose second 500usd (once time)
Lose first game and wining second 300usd (once time)”
3.
On 4 September 2024, the Club lost 10-0 against Valur in the UEFA Women’s Champions
League.
pg. 3
REF. FPSD-20396
4.
On 7 September 2024, the Club won 2-0 against Cardiff City in the UEFA Women’s
Champions League.
5.
According to the Club, on 18 November 2024, the parties concluded a termination
agreement (hereinafter: the Alleged Termination Agreement), which stated that there were
no claims regarding salary, scholarship, or other benefits. The Player disputes the validity
of this agreement.
6.
On 19 November 2024, the Player flew from Belgrade (Serbia) to Bogota (Colombia), with a
stopover in Istanbul (Türkiye).
7.
On 21 March 2025, the Player placed the Club in default and requested payment of USD
1,100, of which USD 800 corresponded to the salary for November 2024 and USD 300 to
the Champions League bonus. The Player granted the Club 10 days to comply with the
payment.
8.
On the same day, the Club replied (quoted verbatim): “Signed terminate of contract!”.
9.
On 5 August 2025, the Player again placed the Club in default, referring to a decision issued
by the Football Tribunal, and argued that the Alleged Termination Agreement was invalid.
Therefore, the Player requested payment of USD 1,100 within 10 days.
II. Proceedings before FIFA
10. On 18 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
11. The Player stated that the parties had concluded the Contract, under which she was
entitled to a monthly net salary of USD 800. Additionally, the Player argued that she was
entitled to a one-time bonus of USD 300 in the event that the Club lost its first UEFA
Women’s Champions League match but won the second.
12. The Player argued that the parties terminated the Contract at the end of November 2024,
but the Club failed to pay her the salary for November 2024 and the Champions League
bonus. Moreover, the Player alleged that the Club failed to comply with clause 13 of the
Contract, which obliged it to provide her with tax certificates for the amounts paid.
Consequently, the Player claimed that she placed the Club in default on two occasions.
13. The Claimant’s requests for relief were the following:
pg. 4
REF. FPSD-20396
“29.In light of the above, the Claimant respectfully requests the FIFA Dispute Resolution
Chamber of the Football Tribunal to rule as follows:
a. To accept the present claim in its entirety;
b. To order the Respondent, Women Football Club Ljuboten, to pay to the Claimant the
outstanding salary of USD 800 net for November 2024;
c. To order the Respondent to pay to the Claimant the bonus of USD 300 net for the UEFA
Women’s Champions League performance;
(d)To order the Respondent to pay default interest at the rate of 5% per annum on the
amounts set out above, as from 1 December 2024 until the date of effective payment;
e. To order the Respondent to provide the Claimant with the tax receipts corresponding
to the relevant salary payments;
f. To impose sanctions on the Respondent in accordance with Article 24 FIFA RSTP in
case of non-compliance.”
b. Reply of the Respondent
14. In its reply, the Club stated that the parties had concluded the Contract on 12 August 2024
but, at the Player’s own request and due to personal reasons, both parties mutually agreed
to terminate it on 18 November 2024, clearly stating that neither party had any financial or
other claims against the other. In this respect, the Club alleged that it even purchased the
Player’s return flight ticket.
15. The Respondent’s requests for relief were the following:
“We respectfully request that FIFA:
* Clearly and unequivocally DISMISS THE CLAIM of Ms. Valbuena Novoa;
* Safeguard the reputation and integrity of WFC "Ljuboten", which has fully complied
with all contractual obligations.”
c. Replica of the Claimant
16. In her replica, the Player denied that the termination was made at her request and alleged
that the Club failed to provide any evidence to support this claim. On the contrary, the
Player stated that the Contract was terminated at the Club’s request, following its
elimination from the Champions League.
17. Regarding the Alleged Termination Agreement, the Player disputed its validity, arguing that
the clause stating she had no further claims was inserted without her consent. According
to the Player, the evidence of it is that the circle outlining the phrase was outlined in
another colour. Moreover, the Player alleged that the Club failed to provide any evidence
of payment for the November 2024 salary or the Champions League bonus. The Player
referred to case FPSD-18699 and argued that the Respondent used the same line of
argumentation without providing any supporting evidence.
pg. 5
REF. FPSD-20396
18. In any event, the Player argued that such a clause would imply a waiver of salary for work
already performed and would therefore be null and void.
19. Hence, the Player argued that she is entitled to the salary for November 2024 and the
Champions League bonus.
20. The Player made the following requests for relief:
“With reference to all said above, the Claimant reiterates her previous requests from the
initial Claim.
Considering the foregoing, the professional football player Ms. Paula Alehandra
Valbuena Novoa respectfully requests that the FIFA DRC rules as follows:
a. The Claim of the Claimant, Ms. Paula Alehandra Valbuena Novoa, is accepted.
b. The Respondent, Women Football Club Ljuboten, Macedonia, is obliged to pay the
following amounts:
USD 800 (Eight hundred US Dollars) net for the salary of November 2024;
USD 300 (Three hundred US Dollars) net as the prize money for the results of Women’s
Champions League 2024;
Interest at 5% p.a. rate as default interest for late payment from December 1, 2024, until
the effective date of the payment of the outstanding amounts.
In case of non-payment within the stipulated terms as per the FIFA decision, sanctions
are imposed on the Respondent as per Art. 24 of FIFA RSTP.”
d. Duplica of the Respondent
21. In its final comments, the Club alleged that the case referred to by the Player was a different
dispute and unrelated to the present matter. In this regard, the Club reiterated that the
parties had mutually terminated the Contract without any financial claims.
22. Moreover, the Club rejected the Player’s argument that the Alleged Termination Agreement
had been completed using a different ink.
III. Considerations of the Dispute Resolution Chamber
a. Competence and applicable legal framework
23. First of all, the Single Judge of the Dispute Resolution Chamber (hereinafter: the Single Judge)
analysed whether he was competent to deal with the case at hand. In this respect, he took
note that the present matter was presented to FIFA on 18 August 2025 and submitted for
decision on 14 November 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.
pg. 6
REF. FPSD-20396
24. Furthermore, the Single Judge 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 Colombian player and a North Macedonian club.
25. Subsequently, the Single Judge analysed which regulations should be applicable as to the
substance of the matter. In this respect, he 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
26. The Single Judge 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 Single Judge
stressed the wording of art. 13 par. 4 of the Procedural Rules, pursuant to which he may
consider 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
27. Having established the competence and the applicable regulations, the Single Judge
entered into the merits of the dispute. In this respect, the Single Judge started by
acknowledging all the above-mentioned facts as well as the arguments and the
documentation on file. However, the Single Judge emphasised that in the following
considerations he will refer only to the facts, arguments and documentary evidence, which
he considered pertinent for assessing the matter at hand.
i. Main legal discussion and considerations
28. The Single Judge then moved to the substance of the matter, noting that it concerned a
claim brought by a player against a club for outstanding remuneration.
29. The Single Judge recalled that, according to the Player, the Club failed to pay her the salary
for November 2024 and the Champions League bonus. In addition, although the Player
acknowledged that a termination occurred at the end of November 2024, she disputed the
document provided by the Club.
pg. 7
REF. FPSD-20396
30. The Single Judge observed that the Club, conversely, stated that the parties concluded the
Alleged Termination Agreement, which established that there were no further financial
claims.
31. In this context, the Single Judge acknowledged that his task was to determine whether the
Player is entitled to the amounts she is claiming.
a) Salaries
32. Regarding the salaries, the Single Judge first noted that the Contract was, in principle, valid
until 14 June 2025. The Single Judge also observed that the Player was entitled to a monthly
salary of USD 800 net and that the Player is claiming the full salary for November 2024.
33. The Single Judge recalled that the Club relies on the Alleged Termination Agreement,
allegedly concluded on 18 November 2024, to assert that the Player is not entitled to any
further amounts, as well as on the flight tickets provided to the Player. The Player,
nonetheless, disputed the validity of the content of the Alleged Termination Agreement
and argued that, in any case, it would be invalid, as a waiver of salary is prohibited.
However, the Single Judge remarked that the Player did not dispute that the Club provided
her with the flight tickets and acknowledged that there was a termination at the end of
November 2024.
34. In this context, the Single Judge stressed that the Player did not deny having signed the
Alleged Termination Agreement but only stated that it was at the request of the Club and
that the statement indicating that there were no further claims was marked with another
pen. Based on the fact that the Player (i) acknowledged that the parties mutually
terminated the Contract in November, (ii) did not deny having signed the agreement but
disputed its terms, and (iii) did not deny having left the country on 19 November 2024, the
Single Judge considered that the parties actually mutually terminated the Contract on 18
November 2024, without prejudice to the validity of the terms of the agreement and its
enforcement.
35. Regarding the enforcement of the content, the Single Judge highlighted that the Club did
not provide any proof of payment demonstrating that it paid the 18 days of November that
the Player worked. Therefore, the Single Judge considered that any further analysis would
be moot: even if the parties had stated that there were no further claims, the Player would
have waived the salary for the days of November 2024 and the bonus, i.e., salary for work
already performed, without the Club presenting any argument or evidence of reciprocal
concessions.
36. Based on the above, the Single Judge decided to award the Player the prorated salary for
18 days of November 2024, i.e., USD 480 net, with interest as from 19 November 2024, the
day after the mutual termination.
pg. 8
REF. FPSD-20396
b) Bonus
37. Regarding the bonus, the Single Judge noted that the Contract established that the Player
was entitled to a bonus of USD 300 in the specific scenario where, out of the two
Champions League games, the Club lost the first game and won the second. In this respect,
the Player provided evidence demonstrating that these conditions were met, as the Club
lost the first game but won the second.
38. The Club did not provide any evidence of this payment but relied on the terms of the
Alleged Termination Agreement. Following the abovementioned reasoning, the Single
Judge determined that the Player could not have waived this bonus as well, which was also
remuneration for work already performed.
39. Therefore, the Single Judge decided to award the Player USD 300 with interest as from 19
November 2024. Since the amount was not established as a net amount, the Single Judge
determined not to award it as net.
c) Tax certificates
40. Lastly, the Single Judge recalled that the Player requested that the Club be ordered to
provide her with the tax certificates corresponding to the relevant salary payments.
However, the Single Judge observed that the Player made this request based on clause 13
of the Contract, which established “With each paid salary the football player receives a written
calculation for the gross salary with paid contributions in accordance with the Law”. In this
regard, the Single Judge did not consider that the Club was obliged to provide her with tax
certificates, but with regular payslips.
41. Consequently, the Single Judge determined that there was no contractual basis for such
requests and, consequently, decided to reject this part of the claim.
ii. Art. 12bis of the Regulations
42. The Single Judge then referred to art.12bis par. 2 of the Regulations, which stipulates that
any club found to have delayed a due payment for more than 30 days without a prima facie
contractual basis may be sanctioned, in accordance with art. 12bis par. 4 of the Regulations.
43. To this end, the Single Judge confirmed that the Claimant put the Respondent in default of
payment of the amounts sought, which had fallen due for more than 30 days, and granted
the Respondent with at least 10 days to cure such breach of contract.
44. Accordingly, the Single Judge also confirmed that the Respondent had delayed a due
payment without a prima facie contractual basis. It followed that the criteria enshrined in
art. 12bis of the Regulations were met in the case at hand.
pg. 9
REF. FPSD-20396
45. The Single Judge further established that, by virtue of art. 12bis par. 4 of the Regulations
the Single Judge has competence to impose sanctions on the Club. On account of the
above, and bearing in mind that this is the third offence by the Respondent within the last
two years, the Single Judge decided to impose a fine of USD 500 on the Respondent in
accordance with art. 12bis par. 4 lit. c) of the Regulations.
46. The Single Judge also highlighted that a repeated offence will be considered as an
aggravating circumstance and lead to more severe penalty, in accordance with art. 12bis
par. 6 of the Regulations.
iii. Compliance with monetary decisions
47. Finally, taking into account the applicable Regulations, the Single Judge 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.
48. In this regard, the Single Judge 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.
49. Therefore, bearing in mind the above, the Single Judge 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.
50. 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.
51. The Single Judge 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
52. The Single Judge 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,
pg. 10
REF. FPSD-20396
or match agent”. Accordingly, the Single Judge decided that no procedural costs were to be
imposed on the parties.
53. Likewise, and for the sake of completeness, the Single Judge recalled the contents of art.
25 par. 8 of the Procedural Rules and decided that no procedural compensation shall be
awarded in these proceedings.
54. Lastly, the Single Judge concluded his deliberations by rejecting any other requests for
relief made by any of the parties.
pg. 11
REF. FPSD-20396
IV. Decision of the Dispute Resolution Chamber
1.
The claim of the Claimant, Paula Alexandra Valbuena Novoa, is partially accepted.
2.
The Respondent, ZHFK Ljuboten, must pay to the Claimant the following amounts:
- USD 480 net as outstanding remuneration plus 5% interest p.a. as from 19 November
2024 until the date of effective payment;
- USD 300 as outstanding remuneration plus 5% interest p.a. as from 19 November 2024
until the date of effective payment.
3.
Any further claims of the Claimant are rejected.
4.
A fine in the amount of USD 500 is imposed on the Respondent, which must be paid to
FIFA within 30 days of notification of this decision. Such fine must be paid to the
following bank account with a clear reference to the case FPSD-20396:
UBS Zurich
Account number 230-366677.61N (FIFA Players’ Status)
Clearing number 230
IBAN: CH12 0023 0230 3666 7761 N
SWIFT: UBSWCHZH80A
5.
Full payment (including all applicable interest) shall be made to the bank account indicated
in the enclosed Bank Account Registration Form.
6.
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.
7.
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.
pg. 12
REF. FPSD-20396
8.
This decision is rendered without costs.
For the Football Tribunal:
Emilio García Silvero
Chief Legal & Compliance Officer
pg. 13
REF. FPSD-20396
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. 14