Adrien Silva received some bad news on Thursday afternoon.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport denied the Leicester City midfielder’s initial claim for relief in order to force through his international transfer certificate, which would clear him to play for the English club. Silva completed a $29 million transfer deal with Leicester City on August 31 shortly before the transfer deadline but the paperwork didn’t make it through in time, keeping the Portuguese international stuck in limbo as a signed Leicester City player but unable to play matches until January at the earliest.
CAS gave Silva a small win in the decision though, saying that proceedings will continue over his ITC issue after a hearing is held.
[ MORE: Premier League stats ]
The decision is a frustrating one for both Leicester City and Silva. The paperwork was reportedly 14 seconds late, which while technically after the deadline, perhaps there could be some leniency shown here so that the player isn’t punished.
Meanwhile, seven months before Portugal heads to Russia for the 2018 World Cup, Silva, who would certainly be in play to make the final squad if not start the opening match, must continue to sit on the sidelines and lose match fitness ahead of the tournament.
On the bright side, if he can earn his way back into the Portugal side, he’ll be much less tired than the rest of his teammates, which will be at the end of a grueling club season. Perhaps with a full hearing, CAS will come around and give Silva a chance to play before January.
Even with the tough news, Silva appears to be keeping a positive outlook.
It’s cold outside! #familia #filhos #england pic.twitter.com/gL8aroabfR
— Adrien Silva (@adrien_silva23) November 16, 2017