Juventus say have won appeal against Chelsea over Mutu

MILAN (Reuters) - Juventus have won an appeal against a FIFA ruling which ordered them to pay Chelsea compensation in the decade-long case involving Romanian forward Adrian Mutu, the Turin club said on Wednesday.

"Juventus confirms that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne has today issued an arbitration award on the claim brought by Chelsea F.C. against Juventus in regard to the registration of Adrian Mutu," said Juventus in a statement.

"The arbitration award has wholly rejected the demands brought by Chelsea F.C., ordering it to pay the legal fees for the case."

Mutu was fired by Chelsea in 2004 following a positive test for cocaine and, four years later, was instructed by FIFA to pay 17 million euros ($19.69 million) in damages to the London club, a decision confirmed by CAS one year later.

Mutu joined Juventus in 2005, while he was serving a seven-month ban in England, and was then placed with Livorno to get around a limit on non-European Union players.

In 2013, FIFA's dispute resolution chamber issued a further ruling which made Juventus and Livorno jointly responsible with Mutu for the money due to Chelsea, and both appealed to CAS.

Mutu, 36, was most recently with Petrolul Ploiesti in his homeland and left them in September.

($1 = 0.8633 euros)

(Writing by Brian Homewood in Berne; editing by Justin Palmer)