Moutinho Cheu

Decisionofthe Players’StatusChamber passedon6November2022 regardinganemployment-relateddisputeconcerningthecoachRicardoJoseMoutinhoCheu BY: JesúsARROYO(Spain),member CLAIMANT: RicardoJoseMoutinhoCheu,Portugal RepresentedbySvetozarPavlovic RESPONDENT: DoxaKatokopias,Cyprus RepresentedbyDuarteCosta I.Factsofthecase 1.On12August2022,thePortuguesecoachRicardoJoseMoutinhoCheu(hereinaftertheClaimantortheCoach)andtheCypriotclubDoxaKatokopias(hereinaftertheRespondentortheClub)concludedanemploymentagreement(hereinaftertheEmploymentAgreement)validasfrom12August2022until31May2023.ThepositionoftheClaimantwasaheadcoachoftheClub’steam. 2.InClause1.3oftheEmploymentAgreement,theClaimantandtheRespondent(jointlyreferredtoastheParties)agreeduponthefollowingremuneration: AmonthlygrosssalaryofEUR2,246(EUR2,000net),payablein10instalments; Accommodation,car,afamilyflightticket. 3.On13August2022,thePartiessignedasupplementaryagreement(hereinafterthe SupplementaryAgreement)toamendcertainprovisionsoftheEmploymentAgreement. 4.ThePreambleoftheSupplementaryAgreementstipulated: “TheEmploymentContractdated12thAugust2022betweentheClubandtheCoachisherebyamendedandsupersededasfollows”. 5.InaccordancewithClause1oftheSupplementaryAgreement,thePartiesagreed,interalia,thattheRespondentshallmakeapaymentofEUR4,000permonth(10times)with30daysgraceperiodandthefirstpaymenttobemadeon31August2022andthelastpaymentmadeon31May2023. 6.InaccordancewithClause1oftheSupplementaryAgreement,thePartiesagreed,interalia,thattheRespondentshallmakeapaymentofEUR4,000permonth(10times)with30daysgraceperiodandthefirstpaymenttobemadeon31August2022andthelastpaymentmadeon31May2023. 7.On28December2022,theRespondentterminatedtheemploymentrelationshipwithimmediateeffect: "Thisisofficiallyinformyouaboutthedecisionoftheboardsofdirectorsofourclubtoterminateyourcontractofemploymentdated12.8.2022withimmediateeffect." 8.On9February2023,theClaimantsignedanewemploymentagreementwiththePortugueseclubVilafranquenseSAD,validuntiltheendofthe2022/2023season. 9.ThestipulatedamountduetotheCoachwasEUR25,000,payableinfiveequalmonthlyinstalments,startingfrom5March2023. II.ProceedingsbeforeFIFA 10.On13September2023,theClaimantfiledtheclaimathandbeforeFIFA.Abriefsummaryofthepositionofthepartiesisdetailedincontinuation. a.PositionoftheClaimant 11.TherequestsforreliefoftheClaimantwerethefollowing: “1.TheclaimoftheCoachisacceptedand/or, 2.TheRespondent,Cub,isobligedtopay30.000EUR+5%p.a.sincenon-compliancefortheresidualvalueoftheEmploymentContractandSupplementaryAgreement; 3.TheClaimant,Coach,isentitledtoreceive18.000EURasanAdditionalCompensationforthebreachwithaggravatedcircumstancesbytheclub; 4.TheRespondentshallbearallproceduralcosts.” 12.TheClaimantwasoftheopinionthatthecontractwasterminatedbytheRespondenton28December2022withoutjustcause. 13.TheClaimantarguedthattheSupplementaryAgreementgrantedhimanadditionalremunerationandthat,consequently,submittedthefollowingbreak-down: “outofthetotalremunerationduetotheCoach10x2.000EURnet(EmploymentContract)+10x4.000EURnet(SupplementaryAgreement)=60.000EURCoachhasbeenpaidonlyhalfofthatamounti.e.30.000EUR” b.PositionoftheRespondent 14.Initsreply,theRespondentrequestedtheFootballTribunaltoissueadecisionasfollows: “I.TheClaimfiledbyMr.RicardoMoutinhoCheuagainstDoxaThoiKatokopiasisrejected. II.Thecostsoftheproceedings,ifany,shallbeentirelybornbyMr.RicardoMoutinhoCheu; III.Mr.RicardoMoutinhoCheushallbeorderedtopaytoDoxaThoiKatokopiasatotalamountofCHF5,000asacontributiontowardsitslegalexpensesincurredinconnectionwiththeseproceedings.” 15.Firstofall,theRespondentarguedthattheSupplementaryAgreementsupersededtheremunerationagreeduponintheEmploymentAgreement,i.e.thatonlyEUR40,000waspayabletotheCoachforthe2022/2023seasonwiththeClub.Inthisregard,theRespondentbelievedtheCoaches’representationofthefactsisinbadfaith. 16.Furthermore,theRespondentarguedthatitwasalsotheCoachthatwishedtoterminatetheemploymentrelationship,explicitlyaskingforthe“dismissalletter”andthat“bothpartiesverballyagreedthattheCoachwillonlybeentitledtosalaryuntilhesignwiththePortugueseclubthatwasafterhimtosignnewcontractwhichDOXAdulypaid”. 17.TheRespondentalsoallegedthatnexttothepaymentofEUR30,000confirmedbytheClaimant,itmadeanadditionalpaymentofEUR4,000,correspondingtothesalaryofJanuary2023,i.e.beforetheCoachsignedthenewcontractwiththePortugueseclub. 18.Concerningtheresidualvalueofthecontract(EUR6,000,i.e.EUR40,000minusthepaidamountofEUR34,000),theRespondentarguedthat“duetoUEFAClubs’LicensingProcedureinCyprusfootballFederation(CFA)thefederationretainedEUR6,000ofDOXA’saccount”andthattheClaimantmustrequestthisamountthere. 19.Finally,theRespondentassertedthatClaimant’sclaimforcompensationmustberejectedas“theCoach’sbehaviorclearlyviolatedthefundamentalprinciple“venirecontrafactumproprium“,constantlyappliedbyFIFA’sdecidingbodiesandaccordingtowhich,theconductofapartywhotakesapositioncontrarytooneithaspreviouslytakenmayconstituteanabuseofrightsiftheotherpartyhasreliedtoitsdetrimentontheorigin