Laporte returns to Athletic after FIFA clears transfer dispute

Athletic Club completed the return of defender Aymeric Laporte to Bilbao on Thursday after FIFA intervened to resolve a paperwork dispute that had blocked the transfer at the close of Spain's summer window. The 31 year old signed a multi year contract that runs until 2028, the club said, after the governing body's Dispute Resolution Chamber authorised the Spanish federation to obtain an International Transfer Certificate from the Saudi Arabian federation.

The move had appeared to collapse when Al Nassr failed to upload required documents to FIFA's Transfer Matching System before the September 1 deadline, prompting FIFA to initially deny the Spanish federation's request for an exception. Athletic appealed, arguing that all contractual agreements and signatures had been completed on time and that the administrative error lay with Al Nassr. Following a review of the submitted material and hearings involving both clubs, FIFA ruled in Athletic's favour, allowing the player's registration to be completed.

Athletic said the decision clears the way for Laporte to be added to its squad immediately, including for UEFA Champions League purposes despite UEFA's registration deadline having...