Overview

• Justice for Players filed its class action on August 5 at a Dutch district court against FIFA and the federations of Germany, France, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands.
• The lawsuit invokes an October 2024 European Court of Justice ruling that struck down transfer penalties as violations of EU competition and free movement law.
• The foundation invites all footballers under EU professional contracts since 2002 to join and estimates around 100,000 players lost roughly 8% of their career earnings.
• The German Football Association has confirmed an internal review of the legal notice, while FIFA has not publicly responded to the lawsuit.
• Justice for Players has offered targeted federations a negotiation window until September before planning consolidated filings in early 2026.