Emmanuel Adebayor Pockets Nearly £500,000 After Winning FIFA Ruling Over ‘Unfair Sacking’

Former Manchester City and Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor has won a FIFA ruling over his ‘unfair sacking’. 

Adebayor joined Paraguayn outfit Olimpia in early 2020, a few months before the world was hit by the COVID pandemic. Subsequently, football shut down for months. When games started to resume, the Togo star was sacked in June of the same year.

The 38-year-old made a total of four appearances for the club and decided that his dismissal was unfair. FIFA has now ordered Olimpia to pay 510,000 dollars (£420,000) to Adebayor, plus an additional 12% interest backdated to 2020, following a tribunal.

The club’s new president, Miguel Cardona said: “There's nothing we can do about contracts that were previously signed, but the club will change its policy on salaries, and impose a pay cap.” 

“We had a demand for payment from Adebayor. We knew he was on 200,000 dollars a month.” 

Before his spell in South America, Adebayor was playing for Turkish outfit Kayserispor, with whom he made a total of eight appearances, scoring twice. He also played for Istanbul Basaksehir, making over 70 appearances and scored 28 times.

Adebayor rose to fame during his time at Arsenal, he scored 30 goals in the 2007/08 season. Adebayor has previously accused the club of choosing money over him, after he moved to Manchester City in a deal believed to be worth £25 million. 

At that time, Adebayor spoke about his departure from North London and his relationship with then manager, Arsene Wenger. 

He said: “[My agent] didn't really say why they wanted to sell me but I found out that they need the money and someone had to leave – that was me.” 

“Wenger put me where I am today but he cannot stand up and say last summer I told him I wanted to leave.” 

He added: “I told him I wanted to stay. I don't think our relationship is broken. I think they need the money and need to sell someone. They chose me and they got their money.” 

He then angered Arsenal fans when he scored against the Gunners at the Etihad, after scoring the goal, he ran the whole length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the Arsenal fans. 

He later issued an apology, he said: “We are all human beings, we have to do a mistake to be better tomorrow. I have done a big mistake today. And I think tomorrow, these things will never happen anymore.”

With his Arsenal reputation already hanging by a thread, it eventually reached the point of no return. After his loan spell at Real Madrid, Adebayor was loaned to Arsenal’s fiercest rivals, Tottenham Hotspur. He ended up spending over three years with Spurs, scoring 42 goals in 113 appearances for the club.

His last appearance in English football came with Crystal Palace in 2016.