The Court of Arbitration for Sport said Thursday it had cut the fine payable by FC Porto's former Dutch coach Co Adriaanse for quitting just before the start of the 2006 season to below one million euros.
FIFA had ordered Adriaanse to pay the Portuguese side 1.15 million euros (1.7 million dollars) but following an appeal, the Lausanne-based CAS cut the fine to 995,238 euros.
Adriaanse's assistant Jan Olde Riederink, who jumped ship at the same time in August 2006, also had his fine cut to 74,821 euros from 146,250, the court said in a statement.
“The CAS has applied Portuguese law in accordance with the contract between the coaches and FC Porto. The criteria to calculate the damage were not exactly the same as the criteria used by the FIFA Player's status committee, which explains the difference in the final figures,” it added.
Adriaanse had joined FC Porto in May 2005 and under his guidance the club captured the Portuguese league and cup double.
