Labour Disputes
Texto da decisão
REF. FPSD-21541
Decision of the
Dispute Resolution Chamber
passed on 9 December 2025
regarding an employment-related dispute concerning
the player Stijn Valentijn Meijer
BY:
Michele COLUCCI, Italy
CLAIMANT:
Stijn Valentijn Meijer, Netherlands
Represented by De VVCS
RESPONDENT:
FCU 1948 Craiova, Romania
pg. 2
REF. FPSD-21541
I. Facts of the case
1.
On 12 September 2024, the Dutch player Stijn Valentijn Meijer (hereinafter: the Player or
the Claimant) and the club FCU Craiova 1948 (hereinafter: the Club or the Respondent)
entered into an employment contract (hereinafter: the Contract) valid as from 16
September 2024 until 30 June 2025.
2.
Clause 4 of the Contract established (quoted verbatim from the translation provided by the
Player):
“Article 4:
Remuneration
i. The club undertakes to pay the player, subject to the regulatory registration of the
contract with the LPF/FRF, its validity, and the granting of full and definitive playing
rights, in exchange for his professional services, for the period 16.09.2024- 30.06.2025,
the following:
a. For the period 16.09.2024 - 30.06.2025, the net monthly amount of 5,000 EURO (five
thousand), payable in lei, at the official exchange rate of the NBR on the day of payment,
no later than the 15th of the month.
ii. The date on which the player can receive payment is the date on which the contract is
validly registered with the FRF/LPF and jot/toruf as full and final payment for the game.
iii. The monthly payment becomes due on the 15th of the month following the month for
which the payment is made.
For example, the payment installment becomes due on August 15; for the month of
August, the payment installment [illegible] September 15,etc.).
(…)
“V. Other financial rights agreed by the parties to be paid to the Player:
I. During the term of this contract (September 16, 2024-June 30, 2025), the Player shall
be entitled to:
a. a match bonus of 300 (three hundred) EUR net only for a win and only if the player is
a starter; if the player enters the field as a substitute, he will receive, only for a win, a
bonus of 150 (one hundred and fifty) EUR net;
b. goal bonuses for the 2024-2025 season, as follows:
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REF. FPSD-21541
i. If FCU 1948 Craiova Fotbal Club is promoted to Liga I at the end of the 2024-2025
season, the player will receive a bonus of EUR 10,000 net (ten thousand euros), provided
that the player actually plays at least 0% of the official matches as a starter;
ii. The target bonus shall be paid within a maximum of 30 days from the validation of
the promotion to Liga I by the FRF/LPF.
c. a monthly amount of EUR 300 (three hundred) for rent, with all other maintenance
costs, including the real estate agency commission, being borne exclusively by the player.
Any damage or harm caused to the accommodation will be borne exclusively by the
player and will result in the cancellation of the obligation to pay the player the sum of
EUR 300 per month for accommodation. The amount of EUR 300 shall be paid to the
player only during the football season or the term of the sports contract and only in
exchange for a valid rental contract registered with the competent authorities.
(…)
vi. The club undertakes to calculate, withhold, and transfer to the state budget the taxes
and contributions related to the player’s net income, at the minimum level required by
applicable tax legislation.”
3.
Clause 5 set forth (quoted verbatim from the translation provided by the Player):
“Article 5: Club obligations
(…)
xvii. Bear all costs incurred in the performance of this contract (for example: expenses
incurred for transportation, accommodation, and meals for training camps, away
games, and the like).”
4.
On 12 September 2025, the Player placed the Club in default and requested payment of
EUR 31,500 net, of which EUR 30,000 corresponded to salaries for January to June 2025 and
EUR 1,500 corresponded to monthly accommodation expenses for February to June 2025.
The Player granted the Club 15 days to comply with the payment, plus 5% interest p.a.
II. Proceedings before FIFA
5.
On 24 October 2025, the Claimant filed the claim at hand before FIFA. A summary of the
parties’ respective positions is detailed below.
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REF. FPSD-21541
a. Claim of the Claimant
6.
According to the Player, he was entitled to EUR 5,000 net as monthly salary, as well as EUR
300 net as monthly accommodation. However, the Player argued that the Club failed to pay
him the salaries and accommodation allowances from January to June 2025, owing him EUR
31,800 net.
7.
The Claimant’s requests for relief were the following:
“As a consequence of all the above, the Player is requesting FIFA Football Tribunal to
order the Club to pay him the following amount:
> 31,800 euro (net of tax);
> Plus 5% interest on the outstanding amounts from the respective due dates.
In words: thirty-one thousand and eight hundred euros plus 5% interest.”
b. Reply of the Respondent
8.
In its reply, the Club requested that the Player’s claim be entirely rejected. Furthermore,
the Club stated that “arrangement proceedings” had been opened against the Club and, as
a result, the Club has been, as of 15 October 2025, in arrangement, pursuant to a decision
issued in case file no. 3319/63/2025 by the Dolj Tribunal, Second Civil Section. In this regard,
the Club argued that the appointed liquidator shall notify FIFA.
9.
Lastly, the Club requested that its position in the matter be accepted.
III. Considerations of the Dispute Resolution Chamber
a. Competence and applicable legal framework
10. 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 24 October 2025 and submitted for
decision on 9 December 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.
11. 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,
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REF. FPSD-21541
which concerns an employment-related dispute with an international dimension between
an Dutch player and a Romanian club.
12. For the sake of completeness, and although the jurisdiction of the Football Tribunal is not
disputed, the Single Judge recalled that the Club had informed that it is currently
undergoing “arrangement proceedings”. In this regard, in line with the jurisprudence of the
Football Tribunal and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the Single Judge wished to
point out that insolvency proceedings, per se, do not affect FIFA's jurisdiction as long as the
club remains affiliated to the respective member association, but only the enforcement of
the potential decision. In this context, the Single Judge confirmed that the jurisdiction of
the Football Tribunal was not affected in this case.
13. 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
14. 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
15. 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
16. The Single Judge then moved to the substance of the matter and took note of the fact that
this is a claim brought by a player against a club for outstanding remuneration.
17. The Single Judge noted that, according to the Player, the Club failed to pay him the salaries
for January to June 2025, as well as the accommodation costs.
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REF. FPSD-21541
18. The Single Judge also observed that, conversely, the Club rejected the Player’s claim and
informed that “arrangement proceedings” had been initiated.
19. In this context, the Single Judge acknowledged that his task was to determine whether the
Player is entitled to the amounts claimed.
20. First, the Single Judge noted that the Player was entitled to a monthly salary of EUR 5,000
net based on the Contract. In addition, the Single Judge remarked that clause 4.a.i
established that the salary was to be paid on the “15th day of the month”, while clause 4.iii
established that it was to be paid on the 15th day of the following month. In this regard,
considering that the clauses were contradictory, the Single Judge interpreted that, based
on the legal principle in dubio contra stipulatorem, the salary was to be paid on the 15th day
of each month.
21. In this context, the Single Judge recalled that the Club bore the burden of proving that it
paid the salaries for January to June 2025 to the Player or that there was a valid justification
for the non-payment. Nevertheless, the Single Judge highlighted that the Club merely
rejected the claim and failed to provide any evidence of having paid the amounts.
22. Therefore, the Single Judge decided to award the Player EUR 30,000 net corresponding to
the six salaries for January to June 2025, together with 5% interest p.a. as from the day
following each due date (i.e., the 16th day of each month), in line with the standard practice
of the Football Tribunal.
23. The Single Judge further noted that the Player requested EUR 1,800 as accommodation
expenses. In this sense, the Single Judge observed that, in principle, the Club was obliged
to pay the Player’s accommodation. Additionally, the Single Judge recalled that the Contract
included the following clause:
“a monthly amount of EUR 300 (three hundred) for rent, with all other maintenance
costs, including the real estate agency commission, being borne exclusively by the player.
Any damage or harm caused to the accommodation will be borne exclusively by the
player and will result in the cancellation of the obligation to pay the player the sum of
EUR 300 per month for accommodation. The amount of EUR 300 shall be paid to the
player only during the football season or the term of the sports contract and only in
exchange for a valid rental contract registered with the competent authorities.”
24. Although the Single Judge acknowledged that the wording was unclear, he interpreted that
the Player was, in fact, entitled to EUR 300 for rent, which was to be paid only in exchange
for a valid rental contract registered with the competent authorities. Nevertheless, the
Single Judge noted that it was not specified that this amount was net, as argued by the
Player.
pg. 7
REF. FPSD-21541
25. In this respect, while the Single Judge acknowledged that the Player could be entitled to
this amount, he also considered that the Player bore the burden of proving that the
condition for this payment to be triggered was fulfilled, i.e., that he had a registered rental
contract. Although the Club did not specifically challenge this, the Single Judge stressed that
it rejected the claim in its entirety and, therefore, did not acknowledge this debt. Based on
this, in the Single’s Judge opinion, the Player failed to discharge his burden of proving that
he was entitled to this amount.
26. Hence, the Single Judge decided to reject this part of the claim.
ii. Art. 12bis of the Regulations
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. 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.
30. 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 offense by the Respondent within the last two
years, the Single Judge decided to impose a fine of USD 5,000 on the Respondent in
accordance with art. 12bis par. 4 lit. c) of the Regulations.
31. 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
32. 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.
33. 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
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REF. FPSD-21541
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.
34. Additionally, the Single Judge referred to art. 24 par. 3 of the Regulations, which establishes
that “Such consequences may be excluded where the Football Tribunal has (…) been informed
that the debtor club was subject to an insolvency-related event pursuant to the relevant national
law and is legally unable to comply with an order.”.
35. At this point, the Single Judge noted that two elements are needed for the exclusion of the
consequences: (i) that the Club is subject to an insolvency-related event and (ii) that is
legally unable to comply with an order. In this context, the Single Judge stressed that the
Club failed to provide any evidence demonstrating that it is subject to an insolvency-related
event or that is legally unable to comply with an order.
36. Therefore, based on this lack of evidence, the Single Judge decided to apply the
consequences established in art. 24 par. 2 of the Regulations, which is consistent with the
jurisprudence of the Football Tribunal.
37. 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.
38. 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.
39. 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. 8 par. 8
of Annexe 2 of the Regulations.
d. Costs
40. 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,
or match agent”. Accordingly, the Single Judge decided that no procedural costs were to be
imposed on the parties.
41. 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.
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REF. FPSD-21541
42. Lastly, the Single Judge concluded his deliberations by rejecting any other requests for
relief made by any of the parties.
pg. 10
REF. FPSD-21541
IV. Decision of the Dispute Resolution Chamber
1.
The claim of the Claimant, Stijn Valentijn Meijer, is partially accepted.
2.
The Respondent, FCU 1948 Craiova, must pay to the Claimant the following amount:
- EUR 30,000 net as outstanding remuneration plus 5% interest p.a. as follows:
- 5% interest p.a. over the amount of EUR 5,000 net as from 16 January 2025 until the
date of effective payment;
- 5% interest p.a. over the amount of EUR 5,000 net as from 16 February 2025 until the
date of effective payment;
- 5% interest p.a. over the amount of EUR 5,000 net as from 16 March 2025 until the date
of effective payment;
- 5% interest p.a. over the amount of EUR 5,000 net as from 16 April 2025 until the date
of effective payment;
- 5% interest p.a. over the amount of EUR 5,000 net as from 16 May 2025 until the date
of effective payment;
- 5% interest p.a. over the amount of EUR 5,000 net as from 16 June 2025 until the date
of effective payment.
3.
Any further claims of the Claimant are rejected.
4.
A fine in the amount of USD 5,000 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-21541:
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.
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REF. FPSD-21541
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.
8.
This decision is rendered without costs.
For the Football Tribunal:
Emilio García Silvero
Chief Legal & Compliance Officer
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REF. FPSD-21541
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. 13