Messy and expensive legal dispute looms after RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande drops representation firm owned by Ivorian legend Max Gradel | OneFootball

Kicker reports that matters are about to get legally messy in the case of RB Leipzig’s rising Ivorian attacker Yan Diomande. The German publication claims that Diomande’s recent decision to switch professional representation has led to a complaint being lodged with the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland.

Yan Diomande’s stratospheric rise continues

After the 19-year-old scored a stunning match-winning goal against Borussia Mönchengladbach in a Bundesliga fixture yesterday, the waves of praise for the mega talent continued to pour in. Leipzig head coach Ole Werner found himself answering multiple questions about his teenage sensation at yesterday’s post match press conference. 

German footballing journalists, acutely aware that the Cote d’Ivoire international will be facing the German national team in World Cup group play this summer, are asking all those associated with Leipzig if they have any tips on how Germany can hope to cope with the young phenom. Werner skillfully side skirted such a question at yesterday’s presser. 

Diomande runs afoul of Cote d’Ivoire’s Max Gradel

Diomande’s international allegiance happens to be the source of the dispute. The Bundesliga professional recently cut off his association with the company “Maxidel”; a player representation firm run in part by Ivorian footballing legend Max Gradel. Diomande’s switch to “Roc Nation” (a firm run by American rapper Jay-Z) in February has led to Gradel to file a dispute. 

Gradel claims that Diomande signed an exclusive contract with his firm. The abrogation of the agreement was prohibited within the legal framework of the contract. Details of the case filed are not entirely clear at this point. Gradel could simply be seeking specific reimbursement via a “penalty clause” for the “untimely” breaching of an exclusive contract. 

How messy will it get?

It may nevertheless not be so simple as a “penalty clause”. Whichever agency negotiates Diomande’s next blockbuster move will obviously pocket a hefty commission sum. In principle, Gradel’s firm can argue that they are entitled to this commission based on the illegal breach of contract. 

In any event, Kicker concedes that whether or not CAS has jurisdiction over the matter and will take the case isn’t even settled. the German magazine contacted footballing legal expert Georgi Gradev to weigh in on the matter as part of the reportage. 

The Bulgarian lawyer notes that CAS may kick the case back to a civil court or lower arbitration tribunal. Since the existence of a “penalty clause” cannot be confirmed at this point, it’s not known precisely what source of financial recompense is being sought by Gradel’s firm. 

GGFN | Peter Weis