The case involves a contractual dispute between Turkish football club Yeni Malatyaspor and professional football player Mitchell Glenn Donald, adjudicated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The dispute arose from unpaid salaries and bonuses owed to Donald under an employment contract signed on August 3, 2018, valid until May 31, 2020. The contract stipulated monthly payments and performance-based bonuses for the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 seasons. Yeni Malatyaspor failed to meet its financial obligations, citing financial difficulties linked to the COVID-19 pandemic as justification, arguing it constituted a force majeure event. The CAS panel, led by Sole Arbitrator Prof. Jacopo Tognon, rejected this argument, emphasizing that external economic factors, including pandemic-related financial hardships, do not absolve a party from contractual obligations. The panel noted that neither FIFA's COVID-19 Guidelines nor Circular 1720 classified the pandemic as an automatic force majeure situation for employment contracts. Force majeure requires an objective, unforeseeable, and uncontrollable impediment making contractual performance impossible, a standard narrowly interpreted to uphold the principle of pacta sunt servanda (agreements must be kept). The panel found no evidence that the pandemic rendered Yeni Malatyaspor's payments impossible, as financial constraints alone do not meet the legal threshold for force majeure. The club had attempted to unilaterally renegotiate the contract via email in April 2020, but Donald did not respond. Despite the contract's expiration, Donald continued playing for the club until July 25, 2020, without compensation. He demanded unpaid salaries and bonuses totaling EUR 276,250 in outstanding remuneration and EUR 12,500 for performance bonuses. The CAS panel ruled in favor of Donald, affirming that the club's financial struggles, even if pandemic-related, did not legally excuse non-payment. The FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber (FIFA DRC) had earlier ruled in Donald's favor, ordering payment of EUR 276,250 plus 5% annual interest, rejecting the bonus claim due to lack of evidence. Yeni Malatyaspor appealed to CAS, challenging the FIFA DRC decision, but the Sole Arbitrator upheld the original ruling. The club argued the pandemic caused a 30% revenue decline, justifying a unilateral 10% salary reduction, but the arbitrator found no concrete evidence linking the pandemic to the club's specific inability to pay. The decision underscores the importance of contractual stability and the narrow applicability of force majeure in employment agreements, reaffirming that financial difficulties alone do not excuse non-compliance with contractual obligations. The CAS dismissed the appeal, requiring the club to pay the outstanding amount plus interest, and emphasized that contractual terms take precedence over external crises unless mutually agreed otherwise. The ruling highlights the legal challenges clubs and players faced during the pandemic and reinforces the principle that agreements must be honored unless proven otherwise under strict legal standards.