A court in Italy on Wednesday held the first hearing about a near €1 million civil dispute between former UAE coach Alberto Zaccheroni and a prominent football agent.

Disagreement between Zaccheroni, 66, and Pedro Pinto – a representative from Porto whose clients listed by his DNN Sports agency include Arsenal’s Unai Emery, Watford’s Quique Sanchez Flores and Chile’s Reinaldo Rueda –  broke out about the payment of commission earned from the former’s hiring by the Whites in October 2017.

The ex-AC Milan, Juventus and Japan tactician departed in the wake of a run to the semi-finals at January 2019’s Asian Cup, eventually being replaced by the Netherlands’ Bert van Marwijk.

But Zaccheroni and his legal team insist Dubai-based, Iraqi agent Najim Mohammed of Hattrick Sports Services was solely responsible for concluding talks with the UAE Football Association – thus making him the only person eligible for compensation.

A motion to begin civil proceedings about the matter was filed in the first week of February 2018, while a judge at the time accepted a request to ensure the disputed amount of €975,000 would be taken from Zaccheroni’s remuneration and placed into a holding account controlled by the Italian courts until a decision is reached on the case.

The civil case has begun being heard in Forli, a city close to Zaccheroni’s place of birth, Meldola.

There is no suggestion of wrongdoing in regards to the UAE FA representatives.

Withers LLP law firm are defending Zaccheroni, while LegisLab and Legale Del Re are representing Pinto. The case is expected to be imminently decided.