The Court of Arbitration Sport (Cas) has upheld a football ban for Ghana defender Jonathan Mensah over his transfer from Italian club Udinese, BBC reports.
Udinese claimed Mensah’s transfer to French side Evian was illegal as he was still under contract with them.
The ban started on 30 April 2015 but Fifa, has clarified that: “the sanction is suspended from the final day of the season where he is currently playing club football and begins again at the start of the next season, whichever country he may choose to play in.
“He can play for Ghana in World Cup qualifiers and any other matches that are not a final competition of an international tournament,” football’s world governing body added.
The original sanction was issued by Fifa’s Dispute Resolution Chamber in July last year.
“Mr Mensah received a four-month ban in the Fifa decision. Such decision was stayed during the arbitration procedure at the Cas,” the court said.
Cas added that “the sporting sanctions that were imposed on Evian Thonon Gaillard FC which are suspended and referred back to [Fifa’s] Dispute Resolution Chamber.
It means Mensah will miss the start of next season but crucially for Ghana, he will be able to play in the 2017 Nations Cup qualifier against Mauritius, scheduled for Accra on 14 June.
News of Mensah’s ban from all football activity comes as a double blow for the player, whose club Evian were relegated from the French top flight on Saturday.
The 24-year-old joined Udinese from Free State Stars in South Africa after impressing for Ghana during their 2009 World Youth Cup victory.
However, Mensah struggled to get into the Italian team and instead spent time on loan at Granada before his transfer to Evian.
