Fulham have been ordered to pay French champions Lyon £3.2 million as a final payment for the transfer of striker Steve Marlet.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport have told the West London club to clear the remaining balance of the £11.5 million transfer for the French international, who is currently on a season-long loan with French side Marseille.
The court in Lausanne, Switzerland dismissed Fulham’s challenge to Fifa’s executive committee’s decision to order the remaining transfer money to be paid last year and concluded that all aspects of the transaction were in compliance with the governing body’s regulations.
The final payment was due on December 14 but The Cottagers withheld the money because of their dissatisfaction with the role that Barcelona-based agents Sebastien and Pascal Boisseau played in Marlet’s transfer negotiations in the summer of 2001.
In a statement, the court said: “Lyon are entitled to the full payment of the transfer fee.
“None of Fulham’s contentions survive the panel’s analysis.”
Fulham have also been ordered to pay the arbitration costs and expenses for the court hearing in Switzerland.
