Justice for Sailesi as Zambian club loses appeal

The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) has ordered Zambian club Lusaka Dynamos to pay Nyasa Big Bullets player Daliso Sailesi $128 675 (about K95 million) for breach of contract.

The international quasi-judicial body has upheld an earlier Fifa ruling, in the case classified as CAS 2020/A/6916, putting to an end the dispute that has dragged for over three years.

The player’s representative Felix Ngamanya Sapao confirmed the development in an interview yesterday.

He said: “We won. Lusaka Dynamos will have to pay the compensation and the Fifa payment stands.”

CAS rulings are final and Lusaka Dynamos have 31 days to pay Sailesi the compensation, according to Code of Sports-related Arbitration statutes.

The statutes read: “The award, notified by the CAS Court Office, shall be final and binding.. It may not be challenged by way of an action for setting aside.”

Sailesi was spotted by several Zambian clubs at the 2017 Cosafa Cup in South Africa and Dynamos convinced the player to sign for them.

The midfielder signed for Lusaka Dynamos in 2017 at K22 million with Bullets getting K17 million while the player’s signing-on fee was K6 million.

He was expected to receive K1.4 million (Malawi kwacha) per month. However, the club failed to fulfil its end of the deal, prompting the player to take up the matter with Fifa for breach of contract.

The versatile winger returned to Bullets in 2019, but he has struggled to regain his form at the club.

In October 2019, Fifa Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) ordered Lusaka Dynamos to pay compensation, but the Zambian Super League outfit appealed to CAS.