Lausanne (AFP) – Bayer Leverkusen’s Turkish international Hakan Calhanoglu was given a four month ban by sports’ highest court on Thursday for breach of contract.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport was upholding a previous ruling delivered by FIFA in January 2016.
Football’s governing body had found the German-born forward guilty of breaking his contract with Trabzonspor when he left the Turkish side for German side Karlsruher in 2013.
As well as the suspension Calhanoglu was ordered to pay Trabzonspor 100,000 euros ($108,000) in compensation.
In its ruling CAS rejected the player’s appeal against both the ban, which was suspended pending the outcome of the appeal, and the fine.
CAS announced it had “dismissed Hakan Calhanoglu’s appeal, but partially upheld the appeal of Trabzonspor in ordering that Hakan Calhanoglu pay 100,000 euros to Trabzonspor FC as reduced compensation for breach of contract without just cause.”
After a two-year spell with Karlsruher the attacking midfielder moved to topflight Bundesliga side Hamburg, and in 2014 was snapped up by Leverkusen, who are placed ninth in the German championship.
