France international Lassana Diarra has filed a lawsuit against FIFA, seeking €65 million in damages following the European Court of Justice’s (CJEU) ruling that FIFA’s transfer rules were illegal.
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.