Justice for Adrian Mutu

This petition is addressed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and FIFA.

We, the undersigned, feel that the penalty of 17,173,990 that Adrian Mutu will be forced to pay to Chelsea Football Club is unreasonable, inequitable and completely unfair to a player who has already been more than sufficiently disciplined for his breach of contract while in the employ of Chelsea FC.

The stated rationale behind Chelsea's demand of such exorbitant compensation is that Mutu should be responsible for the transfer fee paid to his former club Parma. This claim is completely ludicrous. At the time, new Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was overpaying vastly to ensure he was able to purchase players he wanted with a minimum of hassle. The amount one club pays to another for a player is no indication of a player's skill level, and the claim that Mutu is responsible for his price tag is indefensible.

FIFA have now set a precedent; logically, clubs will now be able to demand a full refund of the transfer fee paid for any player who misbehaves in any way while in their employ. This only further illustrates the ludicrous and unprecedented nature of Mutu's punishment.

Jonathan Woodgate and Joey Barton both served time in jail, having been convicted of felonies, yet neither were fired, banned or sued by their clubs. Rio Ferdinand refused to take a drug test, and while he was banned by his club for a lengthy period of time, he was neither released nor sued. Edgar Davids failed a drug test in 2001, yet his club Juventus stuck by his side and he went on to become one of their key players. Just a small handful of high-profile examples prove that Adrian Mutu's punishment is inequitable, when one considers how lightly others guilty of more serious breaches of contract were punished in comparison.

It is clear that both the CAS and FIFA are in thrall to Europe's major clubs. They know which side their bread is buttered on. Adrian Mutu's punishment is unjust. He is being used as an example to other professional football players; try standing up to one of Europe's most powerful clubs, and you will be squashed like a bug.

In conclusion, we, the undersigned, vehemently disagree with the 17,173,990 fine imposed upon ACF Fiorentina player Adrian Mutu, and we demand that Mutu NOT be forced to pay anything to Chelsea Football Club.