Raiola has ban overturned by FIFA after Italian court decision
The agent, whose clients include Paul Pogba and Matthijs De Ligt, had been suspended for three months and said the annulment represented justice
Agent Mino Raiola’s worldwide ban has been lifted by FIFA, the governing body has announced.
The Italian Football Association (FIGC) imposed a three-month ban on Raiola in April, with no specific reasoning provided.
That suspension was then given global status by FIFA last month, with Raiola appealing that decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) having previously stated his intention to fight the FIGC ban.
CAS temporarily stayed Raiola’s worldwide ban before the FIGC’s Federal Appeal Court ruled to uphold his appeal against the Italian governing body’s sanction.
And that decision has led FIFA’s disciplinary committee to annul his worldwide ban with immediate effect.
One of the most influential agents in the world, Raiola represents the likes of Paul Pogba, Matthijs de Ligt and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
He will now be free to broker potential moves for Pogba and De Ligt, who have been linked with moves away from Manchester United and Ajax respectively in this transfer window.
Raiola posted on Twitter: “Suspension Annuled. Justice!”
When the ban was first imposed in Italy, Raiola was defiant. The 51-year-old asserted his belief that he was suspended as a result of his criticism of the Italian football authorities, including their response to the racial abuse of his client Moise Kean.
“This ‘Italian Ban’ is not a surprise, unfortunately,” Raiola said in a statement in May.
“My personal concern is that it has been a sentence dominated by politics, without taking the rule of law into consideration.
“It is a sentence based on false grounds and lies. Law and justice must prevail in any civil and correct system and I hope my situation will be resolved within the right lines as the story continues.
“I guess the Italian Football Association has not forgiven me when I have criticised them for their role in the disastrous state of Italian football, as well as their role around the latest episode of the racism problem and my opinions could have had an influence in the evaluation of the matter.”
The overturning of his suspension today means the super-agent will be free to conduct business globally in what has already been a busy summer in the transfer market.
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