The €7 million transfer saga that nearly cost a football club everything
In short: In 2004, a high-stakes transfer dispute between Roma and Auxerre triggered a suspension that threatened to paralyze the Italian club's ability to sign new players. Behind the scenes of Philippe Mexès's move to Italy lay a complex battle of contracts, misconduct rulings, and a massive financial settlement.
The move of French centre-back Philippe Mexَّes from Auxerre to Roma in June 2004 was far from a standard transaction. While the player personally decided to move, Roma failed to secure the agreement of his previous club, AJ Auxerre. This led to a finding of misconduct against the Italian side, resulting in a period where Roma was prohibited from signing any players other than free agents.
The legal fallout was significant. Mexès faced an initial suspension, and while a six-week ban was briefly lifted, a subsequent appeal was rejected in February 2005, extending his period of inactivity until April. The dispute was only resolved when the matter was settled by Mexès himself; had it not been, Roma would have been liable to pay Auxerre €7 million.
Despite this turbulent start, Mexès became a pillar of the Roma defence. During the 2005–06 season, he played nine of ten possible UEFA Cup matches and helped the club reach the Coppa Italia final. His career later saw him move to AC Milan in 2011, where he famously scored a spectacular 20-metre bicycle kick against Anderlecht in the 2012–13 Champions League.
Beyond the club level, Mexès was a fixture for the France national team between 2002 and 2012, earning 29 caps. His career, which spanned from 1999 to 2016, was marked by both defensive excellence and moments of controversy, including a four-match suspension following a punch on Juventus' Giorgio Chiellini.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Philippe Mexès
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