Icardi lawyer wants to set precedent

By Football Italia staff

Mauro Icardi’s lawyer confirmed they are trying to set a new legal precedent by suing Inter. “It’s protocol for many clubs, but is it right? A player cannot be set aside like this.”

The striker has deposited his legal claim to the employment tribunal and waiting to see if it will be heard, as he is demanding €1.5m in compensation (20 per cent of his salary) and more importantly the immediate return to full training, including games between ranks and tactical sessions.

A sports law expert warned his treatment is not enough to be called ‘mobbing’ or warrant a contract termination, but that is seemingly not the point.

“Inter sent me a formal note insisting he had been reintegrated into the group, but as everyone knows, he does not take part in the technical-tactical session,” Icardi’s lawyer Giuseppe Di Carlo told the Corriere dello Sport.

“He is unilaterally considered to be on the transfer market, despite being under contract to June 2021 and his declared desire to respect it.”

Inside the legal statement, it is made clear that Joao Mario – who accepted a move to Lokomotiv Moscow this week – was given the exact same treatment as Icardi and other players on the market.

“It is a consolidated protocol for many clubs, but I ask myself: Is it right? This arbitration can became a case that sets a precedent for the future of rights in sporting contracts.

“We want to prove that a player, in this case Icardi, cannot be set aside like this. Because he is a football player, he cannot apply to the ordinary civil courts to sue for mobbing.

“In my view, we do not have the conditions to request a contract termination, but it is right to demand fair treatment with other Inter players. Now we’ll see what the verdict is.

“If Icardi changes to a different club, then the procedure with end there, otherwise… The timing depends on how quickly the arbitration panel of three is set up. If it is done rapidly, then this could all be decided in two to three months.

“If there is no agreement and it’s necessary to appeal to the Tribunal in Milan, then it’ll take longer.”

Icardi continues to insist he loves Inter and does not want to play for anyone else, so suing his club for damages seems an extreme step.

“It was not at all simple for him to do this, but he is suffering psychologically with this situation. It is not normal to be discriminated against the way he is right now.

“Leaving aside being stripped of the captaincy (in February), the absence of his image in the official photographs and his Number 9 jersey reassigned, there is the issue of training sessions.

“I maintain he should be treated the same way as all the other Inter players. This is what we have asked in the document sent to the club. Now the arbitration will decide whether Inter must accept our request or continue what they’ve been doing so far.

“As for the €1.5m compensation, we were obliged to include that as part of the case if we were arguing discrimination. It was not a choice made by me or the player.

“Icardi did not do this for money, he is just interested in being an integral part of the Inter project. Seeing as he hasn’t played in a single friendly for two months, he is not part of the project.”

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