Lorient get FIFA transfer ban lifted after paying Cheetah FC solidarity fee for Wakaso

Promoted French Ligue 1 side Lorient have had a FIFA transfer ban lifted after finally paying Ghanaian lower division club Cheetah FC € 7,630.63 as solidarity compensation for Alhassan Wakaso, GHANASoccernet.com can exclusively report.

The French Ligue 1 side refused to pay the amount after snapping up the Ghana international from Rio Ave FC in 2017.

If a player is transferred before the expiry of his contract, any club that has contributed to his education and training shall receive a proportion of the compensation paid to his former club.

Cheetah FC initially transferred him to Portuguese side Portimonense in 2009.

The Kasoa-based side hired Ghanaian expert Ashford Tettey Oku of Offside Consult who dragged the Brittany-based side to FIFA's Players Status Committee and then the Disciplinary Committee.

It was not until May 5, 2020 when the Disciplinary Committee gave FC Lorient Bretagne up until June 5, 2020 to pay solidarity plus 5% interest or face immediate and automatic transfer ban.

On Monday, June 8, 2020, Tettey Oku wrote to FIFA and the France Football Federation to trigger the process until they make payment.

But Lorient complied on Wednesday and are now free to register players locally and internationally.

''As a consequence, the transfer ban imposed at international level on the Debtor is lifted as of today, 17 June 2020. Moreover, we kindly request the French Football Federation to lift the transfer ban at national level as of the same date,'' a FIFA statement said.

''We wish to inform the Debtor that a payment of CHF 8,098.19 has been received in the FIFA account. The said payment will be refunded to the Debtor, for which we would kindly request that it fills and returns to us the following chart in order to start the refund procedure.''