FIFA has instructed Real Valladolid to pay €837,615 to AIK Freetong following a dispute over the transfer of Sierra Leonean player Juma Bah.
The ruling was issued by FIFA’s Players’ Status Committee after AIK Freetong sought its share of the profit from Bah’s move to Manchester City. The Sierra Leonean club had originally demanded €1,031,700, citing a sell-on clause in the agreement signed with Valladolid.
Real Valladolid argued that the player’s departure constituted a unilateral termination of contract rather than a transfer. Based on that interpretation, the Spanish club said it was only obligated to pay €150,000 as stated in the original loan agreement, which included an option to buy.
However, FIFA rejected the argument, stating that a transfer occurs when a player’s registration is moved from one club to another. The committee therefore ruled that the sell-on clause remained valid.
According to FIFA’s findings, Valladolid made a profit of €5,878,000 from Bah’s move. The amount was calculated after deducting the €170,000 paid by Valladolid to sign the player from the €6,048,000 release clause paid by Manchester City.
After applying the standard five percent solidarity contribution, FIFA ordered Valladolid to pay €837,615 to AIK Freetong as its share of the transfer profit.
