FIFA has imposed a three-point deduction on Almeria in La Liga for owing training rights to foreign clubs.
The issue centres on the Andalucians’ signing of Michael Jakobsen from Esbjerg in 2011, and the Danish club claim they are owed between €50,000 and €60,000 in royalties.
However, Almeria President Alfonso Garcia responded to the accusations by insisting that no such debts existed as they were covered in the initial transfer outlay.
Garcia is understood to have appealed FIFA’s decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport 15 days ago and it is for this reason that he is said to be surprised by the sanction.
If the deduction stands, Almeria will have 20 points as opposed to 23, therefore plummeting them into the Spanish top flight’s relegation zone.
A statement on Almeria’s official website read the club were “calm and current on all their commitments” and adamant the points penalty was not yet set in stone.
