Partizan paid 59,000 euros in Kanute dispute, Ljajic says

Partizan has paid 59,000 euros and closed the Kanute dispute that led FIFA to ban it from registering players again, club president Rasim Ljajic says. After a string of lost cases, he says, there is no known obligation left on the books.

What did Ljajic say about the payment?

Ljajic told “Sportski zurnal” how the dispute looked from the inside, word for word:

“Everything has been paid. It was a debt of 50,000 euros, and together with interest it comes to 59,000 euros in the end. It is a lost case in the Kanute matter. Another one of the anomalies we found. We don’t even pay agents, yet a lawyer turned up who supposedly persuaded Kanute to terminate his contract. Now we are paying such a price as a commission for ending the cooperation. Truly unimaginable. He got his share, we paid. It is as if we had thrown the money into the Danube,” Ljajic said.

In the meantime, the Criminal Police Directorate also spent time at the club’s Humska Street ground over Filip Stevanovic’s 2021 transfer to Manchester City. That is a separate story, and Ljajic spoke only about the debt owed to Frank Kanute, a former player.

How large was the debt, exactly?

Ljajic says the principal was 50,000 euros and that with interest the bill reached 59,000. In its own report, Sportissimo says the club must pay 60,000 euros under the ruling, interest included. The 1,000-euro difference is not explained, so this article uses the figure given by the club president.

Descriptions of the creditor also differ. Telesport writes that Partizan settled its debt to Frank Kanute, while Sportissimo’s headline refers to a debt owed to Kanute’s agent. Ljajic’s quote mentions a lawyer and a commission, but not the name of whoever received the money.

According to Sportissimo, the sanction stems from a November 2024 ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and FIFA ordered it enforced until the entire obligation was settled. Ljajic told that outlet: “Nothing arrived right away, that is because of Kanute, it is just what is left over from disputes of the past.”

What about the transfer window?

Ljajic told Sportissimo that the payment does not hamper the club’s work because the transfer window is closed, and that everything will be back to normal by January. The line that the black and whites will be able to register reinforcements from January is Sportissimo’s own comment, not Ljajic’s, so it should be kept apart from his words. The outlet notes that Partizan has been under such a ban before and lifted it with a payment each time.

Asked whether the club has any other unpaid obligations, Ljajic answered:

“This is the last one, as far as we know, in a series of disputes that they all lost. At the moment we have no active or announced debt. Unless something pops up from earlier,” the club’s chief concluded.

The last sentence of that statement is the only caveat: Ljajic does not rule out that another outstanding debt from an earlier period could surface.

Who could lead the club after Ljajic?

The same day, the “Appeal to Save Partizan” initiative, launched by former players, coaches and sports officials, also made itself heard. It names Ivan Golac, Mateja Kezman and Savo Milosevic as possible candidates for club president, and the final decision rests with the Partizan Assembly. Djordje Tomic, who says he is one of the former players in the initiative, spoke about it to “Danas”:

“Golac is one of the candidates and it is quite possible that he will become president. Still, Mateja Kezman and Savo Milosevic are also in the running. The decision will belong to the Assembly. Former players will make up 35 percent of it, and there will also be social and cultural workers, fans and club employees. Every delegate will have the right to run. We former footballers will choose our representatives among ourselves, looking at what each of us did for Partizan, how many appearances he made, how many trophies he won and what money he brought the club. Fans will also have their delegates, one from each city. In the end, whoever offers the best program and a quality team of associates will win. I wouldn’t give anyone an advantage in advance, not even Golac.”

Tomic added that among former players the deciding factors will be results, number of appearances, trophies won and the financial contribution to the club through transfer fees. The trigger for getting together, he says, was Sasa Ilic’s departure from Partizan: “The turning point for our reaction was Sasa Ilic’s departure. That was an event after which we could no longer stay silent.”

It has not yet been decided how many members the Board will have, 11, 13 or 15, and no date has been given for the Assembly. Tomic says the initiative will not give up even if the club finishes eleventh in the table, because the Statute and the Electoral Assembly will be organized in any case.

For Partizan, today, November 4, is also a matchday: the black and whites play a Serbian Cup game against Buducnost Krusik in Valjevo.