Marseille face transfer ban over Pape Gueye deal

Olympique Marseille could be banned for g any players in the next two transfer windows, according to Sky Sports, pending the result of the appeal on the verdict announced by FIFA over a year ago.

In April, 2020, Watford announced that they had agreed the free g of Pape Gueye from French side Le Havre for the following summer, and a pre-contract defining the move of the Senegal international to England had been signed. But the player backed out of the agreement apparently at the eleventh hour and signed for Marseille instead.

Watford made an official complaint for breach of contract to FIFA, who announced their verdict in January 2022 – Gueye was to be suspended from playing football for four months, while Marseille were to be handed a transfer ban for two windows. The verdict was, however, put on hold soon afterwards, as all three parties (the player and both clubs) filed separate appeals on the decision, and the matter has been handed to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).

Meanwhile, Gueye has been loaned out to Sevilla for the remainder of the season.

The CAS has confirmed the 24-year-old midfielder attended the initial stage of his two-day hearing in Lausanne, Switzerland.