Former French international Lassana Diarra, who claimed 65 million euros in damages from the International Football Federation (Fifa) and the Belgian Federation in a case linked to transfer rights, has reached an agreement with Fifa, we have learned AFP from a source close to the matter on Monday.
On October 4, 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), seized by Lassana Diarra, ruled that Fifa rules governing transfers between clubs were “opposites” to European Union law and “likely to hinder free movement” professional footballers, thus disrupting the transfer system. The former Blues player (35 caps) announced last October that he would turn to the Belgian justice system to implement the CJEU’s ruling.
No compensation paid
Contact the AFP, FIFA here“Following the global agreement they reached, Mr. Lassana Diarra and FIFA put an end to all legal proceedings opposing them”adding that FIFA “does not recognize any fault, and has made no payment of compensation”. Lassana Diarra’s lawyers indicated that they could not comment at this stage.
The origin of this affair is Diarra’s challenge to the conditions of his departure from Lokomotiv Moscow in 2014. Due to a drastic reduction in his salary, Diarra left the Moscow club, but the latter deemed the termination unfair and demanded 20 million euros from him, reduced to 10.5 M€. Consequence: the Belgian club Charleroi finally gave up recruiting the Frenchman for fear of having to assume part of these penalties, in accordance with FIFA regulations studied by the CJEU.
Following the CJEU decision called the “Diarra ruling”, FIFA has adjusted its regulations on player transfers. The Justice for Players foundation also launched a class action aimed at greater justice in transfers, an initiative joined by various national unions of professional footballers, including the French union (UNFP).
