2023-09-29 19:27:10
Something new in the dispute between Marcelo Bielsa and Lille. The social chamber of the Douai Court of Appeal “orders (the club) to pay (the Argentine coach) the sum of 2 million euros in damages,” it wrote in its judgment, consulted by the ‘AFP. On the other hand, the court “confirms” the serious misconduct justifying the dismissal of Bielsa, already retained at first instance by the industrial tribunal of Lille in July 2021. “It is a judgment in which everyone can relate” , reacted to AFP Bertrand Wambeke, lawyer for Losc.
Recruited in the wake of the takeover of the northern club by Spanish-Luxembourgish businessman Gérard Lopez at the start of 2017, Marcelo Bielsa, who worked on the OM bench, was supposed to allow Losc to “change dimension”. But he fizzled out, and was laid off after thirteen matches while the northern club was penultimate in Ligue 1.
The court of appeal considered that the pre-contract signed between the club and the coach on February 14, 2017 and the one sent for approval to the Professional Football League (LFP) on July 1 “could have applied cumulatively”, the second document being considered as “an amendment” to the first. However, the contract of February 14, unlike that of July 1, included a so-called “parachute” clause, stipulating that “if the club (…) had for any reason arrested the technician in the exercise of his duties”, he should “compensate him by the payment of all the quantities indicated” in the contract.
A sum deemed “disappointing” for Bielsa’s lawyer
But the court of appeal clearly revised downwards the amount induced by this clause, to 2 million euros, a “disappointing” sum for the Argentinian’s lawyer, Me Benjamin Cabagno, while his client claimed 13 million euros under this clause alone, out of a total of 19 million. “The damage actually suffered by Mr. Bielsa ran over six months at most,” underlines the court of appeal. The Argentine coach had in fact returned to service in June 2018 at Leeds, an English D2 club which he had led to the Premier League after two seasons and where he received “emoluments much higher than those of the disputed contract”. writes the court.
For the court, Marcelo Bielsa committed a serious offense by his behavior towards Luis Campos, advisor to Gérard Lopez, and Joao Sacramento, assistant coach and video analyst of the club. According to the ruling, Bielsa “persisted in refusing to comply with management’s request” to collaborate with Luis Campos, despite an email in which the coach told Gérard Lopez that he “(will accept) the presence (of Campos ) by behaving in a civilized manner.” This “obviously does not bode well for effective and positive collaboration,” wrote the court of appeal.
Concerning Joao Sacramento, “it is not debatable that Mr. Bielsa, as soon as he took office, cut off those of Mr. Sacramento’s assistant coach and that he did it in an unkind manner,” is it written in the judgment.
#Ligue #Lille #ordered #pay #million #euros #Marcelo #Bielsa #excoach