The club has appealed to FIFA, asserting that it did not commit any wrongdoing.

Martin Dzilah will face Viet Anh in Round 2 of the V-League 2023-2024.

In October 2023, striker Martin Dzilah joined HAGL FC to replace the aging Washington Brandao. However, after round 3 of the V-League 2023-2024, he unfortunately suffered a knee ligament injury.

After consulting with doctors who assessed that he would not recover in time for the second half of the season, HAGL and Martin agreed that the club would pay his full salary until the end of the season, worth $20,000 (approximately 500 million VND), in order to terminate his contract early.

However, the Nigerian player later complained to FIFA about not receiving the money. On June 28, FIFA requested that the parties involved provide supporting documents through the legal portal on the organization's website before July 18 to resolve the dispute.

Part of the liquidation document bears Martin's signature.

On August 30th, FIFA ruled against HAGL, ordering the team of young talent Tran Gia Bao to pay Martin Dzilah $29,000 (approximately 715 million VND) plus interest, with an ultimatum that failure to comply would result in a transfer ban.

This is not the first time Vietnamese clubs have faced this risk. Most recently, Khanh Hoa FC was even banned from transfers by FIFA, with the ban only lifted after they fully paid the overdue transfer fees for striker Mamadou Guirassy.

Back in Pleiku, a representative from HAGL Club stated that they had filed an appeal with FIFA, asserting that they had paid Martin the full amount of $20,000 in cash (along with a bank transfer), which is one of the two legal payment methods in Vietnam.

At the same time, HAGL also affirmed that it possesses full evidence of receipts for the money received and a termination agreement written in both Vietnamese and English, signed by Martin, and submitted them to FIFA for consideration.

Evidence shows Martin happily holding the receipt for the money and posing for photos with the HAGL club leaders.

HAGL Club CEO Nguyen Tan Anh said: “Martin Dzilah parted ways with HAGL Club at the same time as striker Jhon Clay. Martin received the money, signed a confirmation of receipt for $20,000, and happily took a commemorative photo with the receipt and termination agreement clearly written in both English and Vietnamese.”

Over the past period, the club's email and communication systems did not receive any relevant information, until the VFF received the ruling from the FIFA Dispute Settlement Committee, requiring HAGL to return Martin the sum of 29,000 USD within 45 days from the date of the ruling for improperly terminating the player's contract.

HAGL has reported to the VFF that they have paid the player the full amount, in the spirit of mutual agreement and consent, and have signed the contract termination agreement. Martin is using the excuse that HAGL Club did not transfer the money to him.

While we paid in cash, which is legal in Vietnam, if HAGL Club commits any wrongdoing, we will take responsibility. We have submitted all evidence to the VFF, requesting that FIFA reconsider its decision.”

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vu-hagl-bi-kien-da-khang-cao-len-fifa-khang-dinh-clb-khong-co-hanh-vi-sai-185240918201832135.htm