On October 4, 2024, the European Court ruled that certain FIFA transfer rules violated EU principles regarding the free movement of workers and competition law. It recognised that the transfer system prevented players from exercising their right to terminate employment contracts without just cause, even though this right was, in principle, recognised in the rules.

The decision impacts all players who have signed a professional contract in Europe since 2002.

Following the ruling, Diarra is seeking €65 million in damages from FIFA.

An independent analysis was conducted to confirm the damages suffered by Diarra during his career due to the rules, which have been deemed illegal.

“I have been forced to fight this legal battle since August 2014. That’s over 11 years,” Diarra said in a statement.

“I am forced to relaunch the proceedings in order to obtain, in accordance with the verdict of the CJEU of 4 October 2024, compensation for the damage caused by these rules.

“I’m not doing it just for myself, but also for all the lesser-known players who don’t have the financial and psychological means to challenge FIFA,” the French midfielder said.

Early August, the Netherlands-based Justice for Players union filed a lawsuit against FIFA seeking compensation for the more than 100,000 professional players who allegedly played during this period.

The Belgian firm, Dupont-Hissel, representing Diarra claims FIFA is not cooperating.

This case stems from Diarra’s conflict with his then club, Lokomotiv Moscow, in 2014. Due to a drastic reduction in his salary, Diarra left the Moscow-based side, who deemed the player’s departure abusive, and demanded €20 million from him, which was later reduced to €10.5 million.

Diarra is supported by the international (FIFPRO), European (FIFPRO Europe) and French (UNFP) players’ unions.

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The stadium would only be partially open by then, to accommodate 27,000 spectators.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the Catalan club has obtained approval from Barcelona City Council to modify the stadium’s construction and activity permit to allow them to play with a reduced capacity starting mid-September.

Per the Catalan newspaper, Barcelona will break the reopening process of Camp Nou into several phases. The club will initially open the south section and the presidential stand to accommodate 27,000 people, then add the side section (45,000 seats in total) and the north section (60,000).

In the second phase, the Camp Nou will open the upper sections, which are still under construction, to reach a full capacity of 105,000 seaters. The subdivision of the first phase should allow Barça to play in their home ground from mid-September, in front of 27,000 spectators.

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The German referee became popular following “La Remontada “– as the game is now being referred to in Spain and in France.

In the first leg, Unai Emery’s men won 4-0 at the Parc des Princes, but 22 days later, they collapsed (1-6) against Luis Enrique’s men at Camp Nou, in a match that still traumatises PSG’s fans.

Aytekin made several erroneous calls in the meeting, according to many pundits in Paris and beyond but UEFA declined to suspend him. However, he was barred from European competitions for some years.

In 2022, he decided to retire from international football, focusing on domestic competitions in Germany, and winning in the process, Referee of the Year in 2019, 2022, and 2024.

Aytekin, who is now 47, has announced a definitive retirement after the upcoming season. It’s worth noting that his compatriots, Tobias Welz (48) and Frank Willenborg (46), will also retire in the spring of 2026.

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