WEF Exclusive: Former Lazio man lodges FIFA claim over Beijing Baxy contract

Ex-Lazio forward Stephen Makinwa has filed a complaint with FIFA over alleged breach of contract on the part of China League One club Beijing Baxy, can exclusively reveal.

As the 2014 China League One season gets under way this weekend, the Nigerian is no longer in China –  claiming that Baxy did not provide the necessary paperwork to enable him to return to the country, despite having a year of his contract left to run.

“Baxy failed to provide me with the necessary documents for my re-entry visa after Chinese New Year. The president made it clear they wanted to sign [other foreign players] due to decisions taken with new sponsors and partners,” Makinwa said.

“We left for the new year break [after pre-season in Kunming] and when it was time to return, after many warnings and efforts to reach them without a reply I concluded they had terminated my contract. So I lodged a claim against them to FIFA for terminating my contract without just cause,” he said.

“I’m no longer a Beijing Baxy player.”

When former Nigeria international Stephen Makinwa joined China League One side Beijing Baxy last summer many were surprised at the capture of a man who once commanded a 7 million Euro transfer fee.

Beijing Baxy finished an impressive seventh in 2013 with Makinwa still finding his fitness after a troubled time in Greece at AE Larissa. The Nigerian found the back of the net 4 times in 11 appearances and linked up well with former Beijing Guoan midfielder Lu Jiang, and Australian CSL winner Ryan Griffiths who has also since left the club.

In the close season, Baxy signed 28 year old Uruguayan forward Julián Lalinde and striker Felipe Almeida Félix of the same age, leaving the future of Makinwa in limbo.

“I don’t know about my options now, issues with Baxy came up when most transfer windows were already closed in Europe and about to close in Asia so now I’m just waiting for opportunities.”

“I would consider a move to China again,” he said.

Beijing Baxy meanwhile kick off their 2014 China League One campaign at home to Yanbian Baekdu F.C. this weekend.

Beijing-based Peter Davis has followed Chinese football since 2008 and is a regular contributor to Wild East Football. He can be found on Twitter and Weibo at @peteydavis