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Inverness win Niculae appeal

Image: Niculae: Inverness victory

Inverness have won their appeal against a ruling that they owed former player Marius Niculae compensation.

Caley Thistle do not owe £130,000 to former player

Inverness Caledonian Thistle have won their appeal against a Fifa verdict which ruled they owed former player Marius Niculae £130,000 in compensation. The Fifa dispute resolution chamber had ruled in Niculae's favour on September 17, 2009, but that decision has been annulled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with the player having to pay the costs of the hearing, as well as the club's costs. Niculae had claimed he was entitled to 30 per cent of his £400,000 transfer fee from Inverness to Dinamo Bucharest in August 2008 but Inverness have always maintained he "initiated" his departure. The Highlanders say Niculae was pictured on the Dinamo website in a Dinamo shirt, alongside a story saying he had signed a three-year contract, at a stage when Inverness still held his contract and had not agreed to any transfer. Club chairman George Fraser and vice-chairman Graeme Bennett pleaded the club's case at CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, in September.

Delighted

"We're obviously delighted with the court's findings as they completely vindicate the club's position," Fraser told the club's official website. "The outcome demonstrates that this club acted fairly and correctly at all times in relation to the Marius Niculae transfer. "It's taken a long time and we've had to expend a great deal of time and money in this process but we felt it was necessary to uphold the club's reputation for integrity. "We are fully vindicated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport and that is extremely satisfying and we can finally move on." Fraser added: "Mr Niculae still has a separate case against the club in Inverness Sheriff Court which is due to be heard early in 2011. "We will keep our supporters advised on that. I am sure they are as pleased as we are at overturning the FIFA decision. "The club has faced a certain amount of negativity as a result of the original decision but we pursued our appeal vigorously and have won on all counts."

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