Sports · Football · 2 hrs ago
Moldovan club ordered to pay Donny van Iperen more than €1 million
The Court of Arbitration for Sport ordered FC Zimbru to pay Donny van Iperen more than €1 million in compensation.
The Moldovan club’s former Dutch defender suffered a serious head injury in a match four years ago and fell into a coma.
The injury ended his playing career, and his contract said the club would arrange health insurance for him.
That insurance had not been arranged.
Van Iperen sought €2 million, but FIFA initially awarded him only €28,000.
He appealed to the sports tribunal, whose binding ruling ends the years-long legal dispute.
The compensation covers lost income, medical costs and non-financial harm.
The payment could threaten the club’s survival, FC Zimbru said, citing the financial realities of Moldovan football.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport ordered Moldovan club FC Zimbru to pay former player Donny van Iperen more than €1 million.
Van Iperen suffered serious head injuries and fell into a coma after a collision during a match four years ago.
His contract said the club would arrange health insurance, but no policy had been taken out.
FIFA had earlier awarded him €28,000 after he sought €2 million in compensation.
The CAS ruling is binding and ends the years-long legal dispute, according to NOS.
- Who
- FC Zimbru must pay former Dutch player Donny van Iperen.
- What
- The Court of Arbitration for Sport ordered the club to pay him more than €1 million in compensation.
- When
- The ruling was reported on 24 October 2026. The collision happened four years earlier.
- Where
- The collision took place during a match in Moldova.
- Why
- Van Iperen suffered serious head injuries, and the health insurance promised in his contract had not been arranged.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Van Iperen suffered serious head injuries and fell into a coma after a collision during a match.
FIFA partly upheld Van Iperen’s claim and ordered FC Zimbru to pay €28,000.
NOS reported that the CAS had ordered FC Zimbru to pay Van Iperen more than €1 million.
- Compensation
- More than €1 million
- Player
- Donny van Iperen, 31
- Club
- FC Zimbru
- Earlier FIFA award
- €28,000
- Van Iperen’s claim
- €2 million
3 sources
What people are saying
For FC Zimbru, which operates within the financial reality of Moldovan football, the financial consequences of the ruling pose a serious threat to its continued existence.