Former Ireland defender David O'Leary will receive compensation of $5.2 million from Al Ahli after a legal battle with the Dubai club following his firing in 2011.
O'Leary took the case to FIFA after he was fired 12 months into a three-year contract, with Al Ahli claiming he abandoned his job.
England's League Managers Association says in a statement on Friday that FIFA has announced that O'Leary was successful in his claim after the governing body rejected Al Ahli's defense. FIFA awarded O'Leary the full sum due in his contract.
The former Leeds and Aston Villa manager says ''it has taken a long time to deal with this matter but I am pleased that all issues have now been finalized.''
Al Ahli said in a statement released Friday that it would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, calling the FIFA ruling ''unfair and contrary to the actual events which occurred.''
''The club would like to remark that it has always been respectful of UAE laws and FIFA regulations,'' the club said.
