Mustafa Amini left ‘jobless, clubless and homeless’ after Turkish club Ankaragucu backs out of $2 million contract
A Turkish soccer club has left Socceroos midfielder Mustafa Amini in the lurch after a monster contract fell through at the last minute. Left jobless and homeless abroad, he wants to take his case all the way to FIFA.
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Socceroos star Mustafa Amini has vowed to take down the Turkish club that has dudded him out of $2 million, leaving him “jobless and homeless”.
Amini has been left stranded in Antalya after a lucrative deal with Turkish side Ankaragucu fell through at the 11th hour – nearly two weeks after the midfield star had signed a pre-contract agreement.
The ugly fallout has left Amini out of pocket, stranded in a hotel with his partner and five-month old daughter, and locked in a bitter legal dispute which he wants taken “all the way to the top of FIFA”.
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The 27-year-old has been floored by the treachery.
“They can’t get away with this,” he told News Corp.
“I hope it goes all the way to the top of FIFA and they do get sanctioned and have to pay out the contract because they’ve literally left me jobless, clubless and homeless.
“To get slapped in the face like that is not right. I’ll be challenging them to go to FIFA because they’ve literally killed me in that way.”
After leaving Danish Superliga club AGF Arhaus, Amini was entertaining offers from around the world – with interest from England, Germany, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
But while waiting to conduct a medical with Ankaragucu, having packed up his life to move to Turkey, he was left stunned when they turned around and refused to honour the contract.
It’s understood the club claimed to have been placed on a transfer ban, forcing them to terminate Amini’s three-year, $2 million contract offer, despite announcing the arrival of midfielder Daniel Lukasik a fortnight ago.
Amini now faces the prospect of being left without a club entirely having turned down rival offers – all of whom have since filled their roster spots, in the knowledge that Amini was no longer on the market.
With several leagues having already started new seasons, teams have assembled their rosters, leaving Amini in limbo with opportunities having dried up.
“It’s unbelievable. I can’t believe what’s happened. I wouldn’t wish this upon any football player,” Amini said.
“On the fifth of August, we got given a contract and we signed it, emailed it back and accepted the terms and everything was done.
“Ten days later, we get a call saying ‘sorry, the deal’s not there anymore’. When I heard that my heart just stopped.
“My agent (former NSL player Buddy Farah) has returned to the other clubs that were asking about me, but of course they’ve looked at alternatives and signed new players.”
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Attempts to return home to Australia have also left Amini and his family heartbroken.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and reduced international travel, costs for flights have skyrocketed – leaving the former Central Coast Mariners prodigy with little choice but to stay in Turkey.
“We were looking at flights for them to just go home and let me stay here, but they can’t get home,” he said.
“The tickets have quadrupled in price and flight times are 60 hours plus. It’s ridiculous. It’s outrageous.
“We literally have no home. We’re Australian citizens and we can’t get home. It’s all messed up.
“We’re in a hotel, one room, with a five-month old. It’s tough. Mentally, it’s tough.”
Amini and his agent have enlisted the help of the players association legal team to take his fight to the top.
“Naturally disappointed as the player had his heart set on this move to play in the Turkish Superliga and now we are dealing with the aftermath of a collapsed deal,” Farah told News Corp.
“And now it’s in the hands of the lawyers.”
Amini has been in regular communication with the PFA, who will lodge a breach of contract claim on his behalf which goes to FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber.
“They’re doing a great job and they have told me (Ankaragucu) are not going to get away with it,” Amini said.
“Look at the circumstances, the things they’ve done. I’ve sent them the contracts, they’ve said yes, it’s legit.
“You’ve signed, you’ve agreed. We’d accepted the terms, the salary.
“They should be sanctioned and I hope FIFA rules in the right favour, because this cannot happen to footballers.
“It’s about respect. It’s about a contract. If they get away with this, they can do it to another and it will just keep going on.”
Amini is not the first Australian to be short-changed by a Turkish club, with current Perth Glory coach Tony Popovic left out of pocket to the tune of $1 million when he was sacked by Karabukspor three years ago.
The club claimed at the time they couldn’t afford the hefty payout after sacking Popovic just three months into his contract.
Originally published as Mustafa Amini left ‘jobless, clubless and homeless’ after Turkish club Ankaragucu backs out of $2 million contract