Overview

• Lassana Diarra is demanding €65 million in damages in Belgian court after settlement talks with FIFA and the Belgian FA collapsed.
• The move follows last October’s CJEU ruling that parts of FIFA’s transfer rules breach EU labour and competition law by hindering player movement.
• FIFA implemented an interim transfer framework in January to revise compensation calculations and burden-of-proof standards but has not settled Diarra’s claim.
• Diarra’s action is backed by global union FIFPRO, FIFPRO Europe and France’s UNFP, highlighting mounting players’ union pressure on FIFA’s regulations.
• Parallel class actions filed under Dutch legislation aim to compensate up to 100,000 players over two decades, exposing FIFA and national federations to potential multibillion-euro liabilities.