Marcelo Bielsa took charge of Leeds United in the summer of 2018, months after he was sacked by Lille in December 2017.
The Whites manager is set to appear in court today and ‘claim more than €19m’ from the Ligue 1 side after they ‘dismissed him for serious fault’, according to L’Equipe.
It’s claimed the Argentine is demanding €18,872,958 in ‘damages for unjustified and abusive termination of an employment contract’, €129,138 in ‘damages’ and an additional €30,000 ‘according to article 700 of the CPC’.
Unless an ‘amicable agreement’ is reached between the two parties (which is still possible), Bielsa will appear in court via a video conference at 1pm [local time] today. The current Leeds boss will speak for 20 minutes. The verdict will not be known for ‘at least three months’.
This trial is conducted to find out whether or not Lille’s decision to dismiss the 65-year-old for ‘serious fault’, when the team were then in the ‘last places’, was justified, and if his claims of €19m in damages are ‘acceptable’.
The French club dismissed Bielsa on 17th December 2017, less than a month after initially suspending him.
L’Equipe states, ‘This labour law file contains extraordinary amounts rarely achieved in French professional football, with the exception of Laurent Blanc, who was dismissed by PSG in June 2016 and left with €22 million in compensation’.
The newspaper adds the legal battle is ‘likely to last, with one camp or the other’ having the possibility to appeal the verdict in higher courts.
According to the report, the complexity of this legal battle lies down with ‘two different contracts’ between Bielsa and Lille.
The first contract was signed between the manager and Victory Soccer, a holding company owned by the club’s former owner, Gérard Lopez. It was signed on February 14th, 2017.
This contract stipulated a ‘significantly higher overall compensation’, and it also included a “parachute” clause.
As per the “parachute” clause, Bielsa will ‘receive all of his emoluments no matter what, in the event of an early termination of his contract, including serious misconduct’. The contract was signed from 2017 to 2019.
The other contract was between Lille and Bielsa, signed on July 1st, 2017, which is the only contract ‘signed and approved by the LFP’.
It included the names and the functions of Bielsa’s assistants and a net salary of € 4.5m for 2017/18 season and €4m for 2018/19 season. The second contract, however, doesn’t include a “parachute” clause.
According to L’Equipe, the LFP legal committee referred both parties to the relevant tribunal. ‘All the interest and debate’ is focused on the ‘pre-contract’ [contract between Bielsa and Victory Soccer]. 
Lille, who only consider the contract submitted to the LFP as valid, are represented by Bertrand Wambecke. He ‘intends to plead’ for a ‘serious fault’ that he considers ‘justified’ and dismiss Bielsa’s claims of €19m in damages.
L’Equipe further add the Ligue 1 side are criticising Bielsa for refusing ‘to “apply the instructions given”, and publicly adopted an attitude of systematic opposition, mistrust and disrespect against Gérard Lopez, former president, and Marc Ingla, Managing Director, but also for refusing to collaborate with Luis Campos and for adopting “aggressive and insulting” behaviour towards him.
‘Finally, for having made insulting remarks against several people at the club and for having prevented several employees from fully exercising their functions (Joao Sacramento, Florian Fieschi, Franck Beria).’
Wambecke also wants the Leeds manager to be ‘condemned to €560,000 under article 32-1 of the Code of Civil Procedure and €30,000 on the basis of article 700 of the CPC’.
