The continued failure by Royal AM to comply with FIFA's ruling to pay Samir Nurkovic has left them facing an immediate transfer ban with consequences of points deductions and relegation.
Nurkovic won his claim for breach of contract against Royal AM following months of waiting on the case to be concluded.
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Though Nurkovic signed a two-year contract with an option of a third year, Royal AM then strangely claimed there was no contract and that the Serbian never appeared at the club after the filing his his case with FIFA on November 7, 2022.
Nurkovic was unveiled by the club, trained with them during pre-season, and even featured in the Macufe Cup but was then offloaded without receiving any payment or playing any official game.
Royal AM terminated the contract on claims that Nurkovic was injured and sent him a letter of termination with a month's notice on September 23.
In the meanwhile, Royal AM's legal representative Leruma Thobejane, has demanded for a motivated award from FIFA which freezes the award of the decision while there are contradicting dates from the two parties about the dates.
"The decision was distributed to everyone involved so it is nonsense that one party can receive the decision on May 3 and the other allegedly receives it 20 days later," says Nurkovic's lawyer Davor Lazic.
"What basically happened is that they didn't file any appeal in time which is 10 days after the notification of the decision.
"If you don't then the decision becomes final and binding which is what we have in this situation.
"All the deadlines have elapsed and there is no way to submit any appeal on this case.
"The club should pay everything as per the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber decision.
"All the statements that they have made that FIFA is prejudicial towards Royal AM is all nonsense and doesn't have any legal value.
"Basically, since the 45 days notification of that decision passed, I did send an email informing them that in the case they don't fulfil all the obligations (payment to Samir) towards the decision then we will revert to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee today if not tomorrow latest.
"Basically, what will then happen is that the transfer ban becomes applicable, and in this situation elapses then it will be a points deduction or relegation depending on whatever comes first.
"The only way to avoid those consequences is to pay immediately the money that they owe to the player.
"It is as simple as that.
"There is nothing more to it even if they say they don't respect the decision of FIFA.
"Fact is that the club falls under a football association (SAFA) which is a member of FIFA, and these are the rules regardless of whether you don't like what the FIFA DRC decides," says Lazic.
What of the motivational award?
"What you always get from FIFA is the short version of the decision.
"If a party wants the longer version of all the deliberations, they have 10 days to file and request grounds of the decision.
"If you don't do it within that time frame, which they didn't do, then you lose all the opportunities in that regard.
"They have lost the chance to appeal the decision.
"What is used is the FIFA Legal Portal and every party involved in a case has their username and password.
"All the updates are contained in that portal because everything is uploaded there on proceeding with notifications arriving the same second.
"So, technically there is no way they wouldn't have received something.
"They might have not seen it but that is their problem.
"The bottom line is that the decision from FIFA was delivered to you, and it doesn't matter whether you were sick or on holiday.
"Just because it is a decision that you don't like you cannot claim you didn't see it because in that case everyone will avoid what they don't like and say they didn't see the decision.
"That story of theirs doesn't stick.
"The decision is final, and binding and they should respect FIFA and pay.
"If our claim wasn't accepted as well, we would have respected it as well instead of going out in public to say I don't respect FIFA.
"Royal AM are just disrespecting FIFA," explains Lazic.
Nurkovic last played in an official while at Chiefs against Mamelodi Sundowns back in May.