Arbitrator dismisses Mutu appeal against Chelsea

LAUSANNE - The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed Friday an appeal by Romanian striker Adrian Mutu against the world body FIFA order that he has to pay former club Chelsea 17.17 million euros (24.14 million dollars) in damages for breach of contract.

Mutu was sacked by the English Premier League after testing positive for cocaine in 2004 a year after joining them from Parma and was ordered to pay the sum by football’s ruling body last year.

The 30-year-old has since gone on to rebuild his career, joining Juventus in 2005 despite serving a seven-month ban for the cocaine offence before moving on to Fiorentina in 2006.