Revealed – Why CAS Didn't Require Inter Milan To Pay €30M Clause To Sporting CP Over Controversial Transfer
Revealed – Why CAS Didn't Require Inter Milan To Pay €30M Clause To Sporting CP Over Controversial Transfer
CAS have ruled that there is no evidence that Inter Milan violated the clause requiring them to pay €30 million to Sporting CP over the transfer of Joao Mario to Benfica.
Midfielder Joao Mario left in the summer of 2021. He joined Portuguese giants Benfica.
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However, Mario had not actually joined Benfica directly from Inter.
Rather, the Nerazzurri agreed upon a termination of the player's contract by mutual consent. Then, immediately following, Mario signed for Benfica on a free transfer.
That came after Inter and Sporting had been negotiating a deal for Mario for much of the summer.
Sporting failed to make a high enough offer for Inter's demands. Therefore, the Nerazzurri lost patience, and instead allowed Mario to join Benfica.
Inter Milan had first signed Joao Mario from Sporting in the summer of 2016.
As part of the deal for the Portuguese midfielder, the Nerazzurri agreed to a clause that they could not sell the player back to a direct rival of Sporting in the Portuguese league.
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Such a sale would come with a €30 million penalty that Inter would have to pay to Sporting.
However, Inter did not actually sell Mario to Benfica, Sporting's bitter city rivals in Lisbon.
Nevertheless, Sporting argued that Inter and Benfica had circumvented the clause.
The two clubs had worked out an arrangement where there was technically no direct sale of Joao Mario, but for all intents and purposes, it had violated the spirit of the clause.
That has been the case that Sporting have been making since the transfer took place.
And the Portuguese club took the case to the Court of Arbitration of Sport.
CAS – Inter Milan Do Not Owe Sporting €30M Over Joao Mario Transfer
Benfica's Portuguese midfielder Joao Mario celebrates after scoring a goal during the Portuguese league football match between FC Arouca and SL Benfica at the Municipal stadium in Arouca, on January 31, 2023. (Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP via Getty Images)
However, the CAS has rejected Sporting's argument. This is because of the wording of the clauses in the deal for Mario to join Inter initially.
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Section 2.6 stated that Inter would have to notify Sporting if they were to receive any written offer for Mario from another Portuguese club, and that Sporting would have the right of first refusal.
And then, section 2.7 held that Inter would have to pay Sporting a penalty if they were to violate section 2.6.
However, Sporting did not produce any evidence that Inter received any written offer from Benfica.
Rather, the Nerazzurri had legitimate sporting and financial reasons to terminate the contract of Mario.
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