Sunderland have been ordered to pay-out a sum of over €300,000 for Ricky Alvarez five years after the Argentine joined the club.
Argentian club Valez Sarsfield have revealed on their official website the Black Cats have paid them €362,500 for the winger following a FIFA ruling made in the wake of Sunderland losing a court case in the summer as reported by the Roker Report.
Sunderland signed Alvarez on loan from Inter Milan in 2014, and the winger made seventeen appearances in 2014/15. He helped the Lads avoid relegation from the Premier League, and this triggered a clause in the deal which obliged Sunderland to buy him permanently, but the club attempted to back out of the deal due to an injury they claimed Inter would not let them treat.
The dispute ended with a ruling from the Court of Arbitration and FIFA which forced Sunderland to pay a significant transfer fee for the Argentian even though he never signed permanently at the Stadium of Light.
The recent payment to the Argentian club is their cut of the fee after their lawyers successfully argued they were owed a share of the deal after developing the player.
Sunderland will now hope the latest financial outlay closes an unhappy saga concerning a player who was ultimately never a permanent employee of the football club, and now plays for Sampdoria.
As you can imagine, the news did not go down well with many Sunderland fans.
Here is a selection of their responses on Twitter in which irony, pathos and anger abound.
The most ludicrous transfer in history. What next? Dear Mr Donald, its Barbara from the CSA I'm writing to advise that Mr Alvarez is £500k in arrears for the child that he had with Chelsea from Hendon whilst playing for Sunderland.
— Parker (@Parkersafc) August 14, 2019
https://twitter.com/politicat76/status/1161590084770119681?s=20
The year is 2075. Sunderland have just paid another £1m instalment on the Ricky Alvarez transfer bringing the total sum to £80m.
They have just drawn 1-1 with Havant & Waterlooville.
— Guy Incognito (@_GuyIncognito__) August 14, 2019
Trying to send him back when was injured,was a master stoke.
— George Blackburn (@GBL1807) August 14, 2019
https://twitter.com/Gozza8/status/1161594158609567749?s=20
Shame we didn't employ Jack Ross as our lawyer. We might not have won, but we wouldn't have lost, and we'd probably have drawn and split the costs.
— Hummy (@eathummous1) August 14, 2019
Another summer another payment for Ricky Alvarez it seems !
— Martin B (@pipes6) August 14, 2019
Highest fee paid all summer 😂😂
— Russell Thompson (@bigtsafc) August 14, 2019
Amount of 2 faced 5hitbags that say they support safc. Poor memories as well.
When the alvarez deal was struck most fans were delighted. In fact many moaned because we didnt sign him outright from the get go.
Argie international. Great technical skill etc etc.
He got injured ..it happens get over it.
Look at money keane and reid wasted on rubbish players.
Get some perspective you moaning bairns.