Lucas Ribeiro fighting losing battle with Mamelodi Sundowns, says ex-SAFA boss

Mamelodi Sundowns are reportedly in a strong position regarding their dispute with playmaker Lucas Ribeiro.

Sundowns have been rocked by a decision by Ribeiro to terminate his contract and take the matter to the FIFA Tribunal, despite the fact that his deal runs out in 2028, having claimed that he has been priced out of a move.

Ribeiro claimed last week that he intends to join Qatar SC, who have submitted a bid to Sundowns, which they consider to be over the player’s valuation, and that the PSL champions keep driving the price high, frustrating the interested club and the player.

Because of that, Ribeiro decided to take action by terminating his contract on August 1 but Sundowns have insisted the player will only leave once all parties are satisfied by the terms of the deal.

Responding to the situation, former SAFA CEO Raymond Hack says Sundowns are in a stronger position over the issue as they hold all the cards.

Sundowns within their rights to ask higher fee

“Sundowns are entitled to ask for whatever they want. He is a Sundowns player. Sundowns have developed him, taken him to the FIFA Club World Cup. So, at this stage, there is no figure that the DRC [Disputes Resolution Chamber] has determined as to what Sundowns can or can’t do,” Hack said on SoccerBeat.

“Sundowns are as shocked as everyone else that the player has terminated the contract and obviously, they will get their lawyers to dispute the player’s claims.

“A player cannot just terminate his contract and say I am leaving tomorrow because another club wants to offer me more money and if there is a case, then the club must pay what is due to Sundowns.”

Hack feels Ribeiro is already in breach of contract for terminating his deal and not turning up for matches and training which could work against him in the end.

“Unless Sundowns have told him you must not come to training, then he is breach of contract and until Sundowns issue a clearance, nobody can utilise his services,” added the veteran administrator.

Why is Lucas Ribeiro bound to fail?

“If he wants to play in Qatar, only Sundowns can issue a clearance, or FIFA, if the DRC finds that Sundowns have breached the agreement. Here, the player says he has left the club so Sundowns haven’t done anything wrong.”

Ribeiro and his legal team are seeking to benefit from Lassana Diarra's legal victory against FIFA, which saw the world football governing body told by the Court of Justice of the European Union that some of its rules break European Union laws, after it refused to issue the midfielder with a clearance when he terminated his contract with Lokomotiv Moscow in 2014.

However, Hack feels Ribeiro is fighting a losing battle as Diarra’s case was in a different jurisdiction and during very different circumstances to his situation at Sundowns.

“I don't see on what basis the player would succeed [in this case], as good as [his] lawyer may be for the Bosman case, that was many, many years ago, there's been many cases since then,” said Hack.

“[For Diarra case] This was a European case and the rules were found not to be compatible with European law not with African law or CAF’s rules and regulations. So, it is a completely different ball game.”