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Diarra's battle, former footballer seeks 65 million euros in damages from FIFA

2025-08-18 15:55:00, Sport CNA

Diarra's battle, former footballer seeks 65 million euros in damages from

Former French footballer Lassana Diarra has launched a new legal procedure against FIFA and the Belgian Football Federation, seeking damages of 65 million euros. The claim comes with the support of the organizations FIFPRO Europe and FIFPRO World, which represent the interests of professional footballers. The amount has been determined by the international company “Compass Lexecon”, which specializes in calculating damages caused by violations of competition law.

The process is directly linked to the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union, delivered in October last year. In that ruling, the court found that certain FIFA transfer rules conflict with fundamental principles of European Union law, including the freedom of movement for workers and the right to competition. In particular, the provisions of Article 17 of the FIFA regulations were considered unclear and unpredictable, failing to respect the standards of transparency and proportionality that apply in normal employment relationships.

Lassana Diarra recalls that this battle began in 2014, when he decided to terminate his contract with Lokomotiv Moscow after just one year. FIFA considered that decision to be a termination without just cause and punished him with a fine of 10 million euros, as well as a sporting suspension, a decision that was later confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2016. An additional element in that case was the principle of “joint and several liability”, according to which any club that would register the player would also be responsible for paying compensation.

In his public statement, the former midfielder explained that this initiative is not only for personal interest, but also for lesser-known footballers, who do not have the financial and legal means to challenge FIFA. He says that he has resisted thanks to his career, but adds that many young or unknown players would not have been able to withstand such a process.

Despite the European Court's ruling, FIFA has made changes to its regulations, which according to Diarrhoea do not fully comply with the requirements set by the court. For this reason, he has decided to continue the battle in the Belgian courts, rejecting any possibility of compromise that does not respect the rights of the players. In this context, the "Justice for Players" foundation has also been set up, which will give footballers the opportunity to seek compensation without having to first face high legal costs or reveal their identity.

Çështja Diarra pritet të ketë një ndikim të rëndësishëm në rregullimin e marrëdhënieve kontraktuale në futbollin ndërkombëtar, duke vendosur një precedent që mund të ndryshojë mënyrën se si trajtohen rastet e ndërprerjes së parakohshme të kontratave nga lojtarët.