Leao loses his case with the Lisbon Sports: Court forced to pay 16 million damages to the Portuguese

Things are getting better in the field. The labeling of a lack of continuity has been erased with high-level representations, enough to kidnap Pioli and his companions of the complimentary team without reservation.

The only problem comes from outside the field: Rafael Leao has already been sentenced to pay off the Lisbon Sporting, his former team, for an equal amount of 16.5m euros. The capital's Appeal Court overturned the attacker's appeal last Friday.

This is the decision of March 2020 by the Court of Arbitrazhi Sportiv in the first degree: “The player has been convicted of paying Sporting 16.5m euros (plus interest), as compensation for the illegal break of the sports labour relationship”. The most important Portuguese newspapers, from the U.S.A. Bolaç to RHcord, have made the news public.

But what exactly happened? At the end of the 2018/19 season, which closed with 2 goals in 5 matches, the first among professionals, Leaho had unilaterally cut the contract with Sporting, along with many of his teammates, due to violent aggression by Portuguese fans at the club's sports centre, following the failure to qualify in the Champions League. Leao then moved to Leell as a free transfer to be purchased by AC Milan in the summer of 2019 (23m euros). Sporting had demanded 45 million, or the release clause, but the court sentenced Rafael to the first degree to compensate for the club for 16.5 million. Leao has now lost the appeal and could only complain at the last instance in the Supreme Court.