Lassana Diarra Resumes Legal Action Against FIFA for £56 Million

Lassana Diarra Resumes Legal Action Against FIFA for £56 Million

Lassana Diarra Resumes Legal Action Against FIFA for £56 Million

Former France midfielder Lassana Diarra is reigniting legal proceedings in pursuit of £56 million in compensation from FIFA and the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA).

Diarra has been embroiled in a lengthy legal dispute with FIFA, challenging certain regulations after the termination of his contract with Lokomotiv Moscow in 2014.

In October, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that FIFA's regulations governing certain football transfers violate European Union laws.

On Monday, Diarra, who has played in the Premier League for Chelsea, Arsenal, and Portsmouth, expressed his hope that FIFA and the RBFA would "at least have the decency to approach me to propose an amicable settlement." Unfortunately, that has not occurred, prompting the 40-year-old to resume national proceedings in Belgium.

The CJEU determined that FIFA's refusal to grant Diarra an international transfer certificate (ITC) for a potential move to Belgian club Charleroi in 2015 indicated that its rules "impede the free movement of professional footballers wishing to develop their activity by going to work for a new club."

FIFA had previously ordered Diarra to pay £8.4 million to Lokomotiv Moscow after he was found to have breached his contract with the Russian club.

Diarra has garnered support from professional footballers' unions including FifPro, FifPro Europe, and the UNFP in France.

"I have been forced to fight this legal battle since August 2014. That’s more than 11 years," Diarra stated in a joint media release. "I am doing this for myself - but I have also done it for all the up-and-coming, lesser-known players who do not have the financial and psychological means to challenge FIFA before real judges."

FIFA and the RBFA have been approached for comment regarding this matter.

Following the CJEU ruling, FIFA amended its transfer regulations, implementing an interim framework for calculating compensation and determining the burden of proof in cases of contract breaches. However, Diarra contended that these amendments "do not comply with the strict requirements imposed by the CJEU judgment."

The CJEU ruling also led the Dutch foundation Justice for Players (JFP) to initiate a class action lawsuit against FIFA and the football associations of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark, seeking compensation for alleged income losses due to restrictive transfer rules.

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