The contract termination dispute between Lassana Diarra and Lokomotiv Moscow from a decade ago may be set to change the landscape of football transfers. On October 4th, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that certain FIFA transfer regulations are inconsistent with EU laws on competition and freedom of movement. The court stated: “The rules in question are such as to impede the free movement of professional footballers who wish to develop their activity by going to work for a new club.”
Calciomercato report that the case stems from Diarra’s four-year contract with Lokomotiv Moscow signed in 2013. After just one season, the contract was terminated due to salary disputes. The club appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), claiming Diarra had breached the agreement without “just cause.” CAS ruled that Diarra should pay 10.5 million euros in compensation to Lokomotiv, jointly with his future club.
Diarra claimed that these FIFA regulations made it difficult for him to find a new club. He had an agreement with Charleroi that fell through due to FIFA rules, prompting him to take football’s governing body to court. The Diarra case predates Gianni Infantino’s 2016 election as FIFA president, who has since prioritized modernizing transfer market rules.
In response to the court’s ruling, FIFA issued a statement: “FIFA has taken note of the judgment issued today by the Court of Justice of the European Union in relation to the case of player Lassana Diarra. FIFA is satisfied that the legality of the key principles of the transfer system has been reconfirmed by today’s judgment. The ruling only questions two paragraphs of two articles of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, which the national court is now invited to consider. FIFA will analyze the decision in coordination with other stakeholders before commenting further.”
This landmark ruling could potentially lead to significant changes in how player transfers are conducted in European football, potentially giving players more freedom in their career moves.
