At the end of March, FIFA imposed a transfer ban on 1. FC Köln for the next two transfer periods plus an additional payment of a good 50,000 euros to Olimpija Ljubljana. The world association saw it as proven that FC had worked towards the termination of young striker Jaka Cuber Potocnik at the Slovenian club.
The billy goats now want to take legal action against this verdict and, according to ‘Sport Bild’, they are taking Swiss lawyer Gianpaolo Monteneri, who specializes in FIFA law, to the Court of Arbitration for Sport CAS. The first milestone, the suspension of the ban, will be Cologne “probably” achieve, according to the journal.
This would only be a partial success, but an important one. The Bundesliga club should then at least be active in the upcoming summer transfer market and prepare their squad for the next season. The crucial trial before the CAS follows in late summer with the aim of reducing the sentence. However, the chances of that happening are rather slim.
Ljubljana wants Cologne to bleed
Meanwhile, Ljubljana has also appealed FIFA’s verdict to CAS. This was confirmed to the ‘Kölnische Rundschau’ by club vice-president Christian Dollinger. The Slovenians are not satisfied with the 50,000 euros mentioned and insist on a compensation payment of 2.5 million euros. Dinamo Zagreb had previously offered this sum as a fee for Cuber Potocnik. So it could get even worse for Cologne.
