Fiji rugby star Leone Nakarawa has lost his court battle with Racing 92 after the Top 14 club fired him following the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
The second-rower sought 1 million euros in compensation from the Parisian club after he was dismissed for failing to return to the club on time after the World Cup in Japan.
Nakarawa returned to Fiji after his team was eliminated from the tournament. However, he stayed an additional 15 days without approval before failing to return to France on time, resulting in Racing 92 terminating his contract.
Subsequently, the second-rower briefly rejoined Glasgow Warriors on a short-term basis, followed by a period at Toulon, and he now plays for Top 14 club Castres.
Since then, Racing 92 and Nakarawa have been embroiled in a legal dispute, with the player seeking 1 million euros in damages for what he claims was wrongful termination of his contract.
After failing to win the case the industrial tribunal, Nakarawa appeared before the judges of the Paris Court of Appeal where he claimed that the club had sent him oral authorisation to extend his leave.
“It was legitimate, both in terms of his health and his investment for his employing club, for him to take leave before resuming competition,” said his lawyer, Arnaud Dubois
However, Paris Court of Appeal judges did not agree and said that Nakarawa and had formulated a form of blackmail to return to the club.
“It emerges from reading the exchanges of WhatsApp messages communicated that Mr. Nakarawa had formulated a form of blackmail by making his return to training conditional on the payment of certain sums,” the conclusion read.
The Fijian international’s agent had proposed that Racing 92 should fine Nakarawa two months’ salary to avoid the situation being taken to court.
The 36-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down despite being in the latter stages of his career having played 28 matches for Castres across the Top 14 and Challenge Cup this season.
