Willem II claims training compensation one day too late

Willem II's claim for €60,000 training compensation for Nikolaos Michelis was rejected by CAS because the club filed one day after the deadline.

Willem II has lost its appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over a €60,000 training compensation claim dating back five years. The dispute concerns Greek defender Nikolaos Michelis, who was loaned to Willem II from AC Milan in 2021. After 13 appearances, Michelis fell out of favour as Willem II descended into chaos, with manager Fred Grim sacked and technical director Joris Mathijsen suspended.

The club did not exercise its purchase option, and AC Milan sold Michelis to Spanish side CD Mirandés.

Willem II was entitled to training compensation from CD Mirandés, but when the Spanish club failed to pay, Willem II had two years to lodge a claim with FIFA. The deadline was 4 September 2024, but the Dutch club submitted its complaint to FIFA on 5 September 2024 — one day too late.

FIFA rejected the claim due to the missed deadline, and after a lengthy procedure in which Willem II was supported by employers' organisation FBO, CAS has now upheld that decision.