Rangers avoid seven-figure pay out to Carlos Pena after long-awaited court ruling
Rangers are off the hook from paying Carlos Pena a “significant seven-figure sum” in compensation after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in their favour, Rangers Review reports.
The Mexican international had a relatively unsuccessful time as a Gers forward after signing from Chivas in 2017, scoring five goals in 14 appearances in all competitions before two loan spells away from Ibrox.
It was as a result of one of these to Mexican side AD Cruz Azul that his contract was terminated in 2019 after the culmination of issues with his parent club with dishonesty over his alcohol addiction.
The Rangers Review report states: “The club are understood to be sympathetic to the myriad issues thrown up by addiction, but Pena displayed a stubborn refusal to open up over his situation.”
The now-CDS Vida forward, 32, had appealed to FIFA whose three-person panel found in the player’s favour on the basis that the Light Blues should not have relied on his conduct according to their contract with him as he was on loan at the time.
Having been ordered to pay compensation north of £1million, Rangers turned to CAS in Switzerland and after 18-months their “final” ruling has landed in the club’s favour meaning the payment will no longer be enforced.
Sad situation
This looks to be the end of an unedifying episode all round, and while the club are no longer obliged to pay Pena we have to hope he is now getting the help he requires to tackle his addiction.
Such a situation is obviously tricky as it is a health issue which requires support, but it is dishonesty rather than the addiction itself which put paid to his time at Ibrox which would have made providing that support all but impossible.
The original FIFA ruling seems pretty odd, since it implies that a parent club have no control over a loaned out player at all for the duration of the move, so it is perhaps unsurprising that the final ruling has reversed that decision.
Pena has bounced between clubs since his exit from Glasgow, scoring just eight goals since, but is still playing, having signed for his current club in Honduras last month.
Rangers save a fair amount of money, which is especially pertinent currently as the riches that were thought to have been accrued through European football and big-money sales are apparently not accurate according to Stewart Robertson.
With the club seemingly caught up in endless legal disputes in one direction or another the door has at least now been closed on one with a ruling in the Bears’ favour.
In other Rangers news, the club sent scouts to an extremely popular clash during the international break, with talents watched by 39 interested parties.