How Ronaldo has blown chances of compensation in Man Utd exit
Suraj Radia
- 14 Nov 2022 16:00 GMT
- 3 min read
Manchester United may be able to terminate Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract without compensation after his explosive interview criticising the club.
Extracts from Ronaldo’s interview with Piers Morgan showed the 37-year-old claiming he didn’t have respect for manager Erik ten Hag and that United were trying to force him out of the club, among other controversial statements.
United issued a statement saying that the club would take time to consider the impact of Ronaldo’s quotes but reports suggest that the Portuguese international may have played his last game for the club.
STATEMENT: United break silence on Ronaldo interview
Ten Hag has repeatedly insisted that the Ronaldo was still an important part of the first-team, even after he walked out on the team last month and tried to engineer an exit in the summer.
However, his latest indiscipline could have sealed his fate at Old Trafford, with a litigation and sports lawyer claiming United could have grounds to release Ronaldo without him paying any compensation for the remaining months of his deal.
In a now-deleted series of tweets, David Seligman explained how Ronaldo’s interview may constitute ‘material breach of the implied duty of trust and confidence as well as express terms regarding bringing club into disrepute.'
With Ronaldo’s contract set to expire in the summer and no teams seemingly willing to take him off United’s hands, talks will likely be held to discuss his future after the World Cup.
BETRAYAL: Ronaldo reveals all in interview
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What rights do United have over Ronaldo’s contract?
Article 14 of FIFA’s regulations on the status and transfers of players states that ‘a contract may be terminated by either party without consequences of any kind (either payment of compensation or imposition of sporting sanctions) where there is just cause.’
While the definition of ‘just cause’ is open to interpretation, Seligman believes United could argue that Ronaldo’s interview has meant his club have lost trust and confidence in his ability to fulfil his contract, leading to termination without compensation.
Seligman also spoke about how United could withhold payments from Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes as part of his agreement is to ‘maintain a stable relationship between club and player’.
With United having paid £29 million to agents last season, they could recoup significant money through legal action, although any process is likely to be difficult and potentially strenuous.
While the fallout over Ronaldo’s interview may take months to unravel, an amicable resolution may be discussed in order to avoid any more distraction to United and their season.
