Sunderland defender Emmanuel Eboue has been banned from football for one year by FIFA, and has thus had his contract with the Black Cats terminated.
The ban relates to Eboue owing money to his former agent, with him having not paid it despite several warnings.
He was even fined £21,000 in September 2014 for not paying the money yet, a fine which came over a year after first being ordered to settle the dispute (July 2013).
He was told after that punishment that he would have four months to sort the situation and payment, but has again ignored the orders and will now be banned from playing for a year - or until he does pay the money.
With Eboue's deal only until the summer at the Stadium of Light, the Wearside outfit have thus opted to terminate the contract as it carries no worth under the circumstances.
Right-back crisis
The ban comes at the worst possible time for Sunderland, with Eboue having been in line to make his debut for the club against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday before this news.
DeAndre Yedlin has been the Black Cats' first choice right-back in recent weeks, but the American international will not arrive back on Wearside until Friday after being away with his country for a double-header against Guatemala.
With little over 24 hours between Yedlin returning to the North East and the game against West Brom, Eboue was expected to come in to make his first appearance for the club just under a month after being signed by them.
The former Arsenal man has struggled with niggling injuries since arriving, which has prevented him from featuring thus far, but has played for the under-21s to keep his fitness high in recent weeks.
However, his sacking means the chance is likely to arise for Billy Jones to stake his claim for a regular return to the starting XI. Jones' poor performances after Christmas eventually led to him being dropped for Yedlin, and he has been unable to get a look in since.
With Yedlin unlikely to play though, the defender could get an opportunity to prove himself again against his former side this weekend.