Leeds United 'withdraw' £24.5m Jean-Kevin Augustin legal appeal after long-running dispute

Leeds United's appeal against an award of £24.5million in compensation to their former loan striker Jean-Kevin Augustin has been withdrawn from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), according to reports. The Whites were ordered to pay the whopping sum to the French forward, who represented the club during the 2019/20 season after arriving on loan from German club RB Leipzig, after being found to have breached his contract.

United appealed the decision, which was made by FIFA's Dispute Resolution Chamber, adding another twist to the long-running dispute. However, a report in The Athletic today says United have withdrawn their appeal to the CAS, claiming "that process has ended prematurely without a further ruling".

A statement from CAS given to The Athletic read: "The appeal in the arbitration CAS 2023/A/9616 Leeds United v Jean-Kevin Augustin, against the decision issued on 30 March 2023 by FIFA Football Tribunal Dispute Resolution Chamber (FPSD-6567), was withdrawn." The report adds that it is unclear whether the withdrawal of the appeal has seen United commit to paying Augustin the full amount awarded to him.

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United signed Augustin from Leipzig after negotiating an obligation clause stating that the transfer would be turned into a permanent deal for £18m if the Whites secured promotion back to the Premier League that season. The Covid-19 outbreak impacted the season as then head coach Marcelo Bielsa duly led the Whites to a top-two finish. Augustin fell out of favour under Bielsa, appearing for just 48 first-team minutes.

The Elland Road club argued they should not have to pay the transfer fee because Augustin's loan ran out on June 30, and they went up on July 17 after the season had been delayed by the Covid pandemic.

Three years ago, FIFA ruled United should pay the full amount and the club lost their appeal with CAS back in November. A £15.5m settlement was eventually reached with Leipzig, but Augustin, who now plays for Swiss side Basel, took his own case against United to FIFA.