MusaRicharlison’s situation at Tottenham Hotspur has become even more complicated after the Brazilian was left out of the club’s Premier League squad, with Roberto De Zerbi making it clear that he has no plans to use the forward.
The situation was already difficult, but Tottenham’s early League Cup exit has now made things even more complicated. Spurs have no European football this season and will not begin their FA Cup campaign until January.
That means, in practical terms, there is currently no competitive football available for Richarlison at Tottenham before the turn of the year. That could potentially strengthen his position if he eventually decides to pursue a case against the club through FIFA.
FIFA and CAS precedents could offer Richarlison hope
Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte spoke to sports lawyer Eduardo Carlezzo about Richarlison’s situation. While Carlezzo was careful not to give a definitive opinion on the Brazilian’s individual case, he explained that players can, in certain circumstances, seek to terminate their contracts for just cause when they are prevented from playing.
“In theory, and without going into Richarlison’s specific case, it is possible for a player to seek termination for just cause before FIFA’s Football Tribunal if he hasn’t been registered for the competitions his club will play in,” Carlezzo explained.
The lawyer stressed that FIFA would consider the circumstances surrounding the entire situation. That would include the terms of the player’s contract, his relationship with the club and the competitions in which he could potentially participate.
Carlezzo also revealed that similar cases have previously been handled by his legal team.
“We’ve worked on cases where, in similar situations, players hired us to seek termination for just cause after being sidelined, unable to play in any competition and only training with the B team,” he said.
“The decisions taken by FIFA and CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) were favourable to the player and allowed him to terminate his contract and look for a new club. There are several precedents which protect players in situations like this.”
Those precedents do not mean Richarlison would automatically succeed if he decided to take action against Tottenham. However, they could provide his legal representatives with grounds to explore if the current situation continues.
Tottenham’s poor start could make the situation more complicated
Previously, one factor working in Tottenham’s favour was that Richarlison could theoretically have featured in domestic cup competitions despite being excluded from the Premier League squad.
That possibility has now largely disappeared before January.
Spurs have already been eliminated from the League Cup, while they have no European competition this season and will not enter the FA Cup until January. With Richarlison not registered for the Premier League, there is currently no obvious competitive outlet for him.
Even if De Zerbi were to change his position, Richarlison could not simply be restored to Tottenham’s Premier League squad before January.
The same would apply if Tottenham eventually decided to make a managerial change following their poor start to the campaign. Whoever is in charge, the Brazilian’s current registration situation remains unchanged until the January transfer window.
An amicable solution remains the preferred option
For now, Richarlison appears to be seeking a solution without escalating the dispute to FIFA.
Globo Esporte reports that the forward is looking for an amicable termination of his contract with Tottenham. Such an agreement would obviously be a much simpler route for both parties than launching a formal legal case.
However, Richarlison has previously struggled to secure a departure, while Tottenham have shown little indication that they are prepared to simply release him.
There is also previous history involving De Zerbi that has attracted attention. During his time at Marseille, the Italian reportedly told Amir Murillo that he would be sold following a Champions League defeat.
Reports from France at the time suggested that De Zerbi’s handling of the situation created tension within the dressing room. Murillo subsequently threatened to leave, although De Zerbi himself was dismissed roughly ten days later.
Richarlison’s situation at Tottenham is clearly different and will ultimately depend on the specific details of his contract and circumstances.
For now, the key issue is whether being completely excluded from competitive football until January could give his lawyers stronger grounds to explore a FIFA case.
Carlezzo has not suggested that Richarlison would definitely succeed. However, with Tottenham’s League Cup elimination and no European or FA Cup football available before January, the existing FIFA and CAS precedents could become increasingly relevant if the impasse continues.
Musa
