Jonathan Mensah free at last

Ghana defender Jonathan Mensah is now free to play competitive football after serving a four-month ban slapped on him by football’s world governing body, FIFA.

The France-based player ended the ban on Monday, making him available for both his club Evian and the Ghana national team.

The Black Stars player centre-back was handed the four-month ban in April over his transfer move to Evian Thonon Gaillard in 2011.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the matter in favour of Mensah’s former club Udinese who claimed the player was poached by French club Evian without the necessary transfer clearance.

The Ghana defender joined Evian as a free agent but investigations by FIFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) revealed that Mensah’s contract with Udinese by then had not run out.

Mensah was suspended from football for four months starting on April 29, 2015 but the summer break halted the suspension.

The suspension resumed in late August when the new season started and with two months already in, Mensah has ended the ban.

Evian were fined €1 million which was paid as compensation to Udinese and a possible two-year ban from the transfer market.

Mensah’s Evian were relegated from the French Ligue 1 at the end of last season and he will play in the second tier this season.