The weekend starts badly for Olympique de Marseille. The Marseille club has been notified by Fifa of a recruitment ban for one year in the context of the affair which opposes it to Watford over the transfer of Pape Gueye, a source familiar with the matter said on Saturday, confirming a daily information The Team. The midfielder joined OM in 2020.
OM should appeal this decision taken by the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber. The procedure had been opened by the English club of Watford, with which Gueye had committed before withdrawing and joining the French club. In the same procedure, OM received a fine of “just over two million euros”, according to the same source.
Pape Gueye suspended for four months
The player for his part was suspended for four months from all official competitions, with OM, as with Senegal. Friday, he could not play with his selection against Guinea (0-0) in the African Cup of Nations.
“He had extra-national team problems with Marseille. On a transfer, there were problems between Marseille and Watford. Fifa suspended him,” said his coach, Aliou Cissé.
Towards a suspensive appeal
Both the player and OM should appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, on the merits of the decision and in order to obtain a suspensive effect of the sanction.
Before joining Olympique de Marseille in 2021, Pape Gueye, trained in Le Havre, had signed a pre-contract with Watford. At the end of April 2020, the English club announced his signing for five years, from the following July 1. But Gueye has in the meantime terminated the contract unilaterally for formal defects.