Footballer Lassana Diarra demands 65m euros in damages from FIFA and Belgian FA
Former French international footballer Lassana Diarra is demanding 65 million euros in damages from FIFA and the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) in a Belgian court, his lawyers announced on Monday. The claim is supported by the global players’ union FIFPro and the French professional footballers’ union UNFP.
In 2014, Diarra was handed a fine of 10 million euros by FIFA after he unilaterally broke his contract with Lokomotiv Moscow in order to move to Sporting Charleroi. The Belgian club then blocked the transfer, because it did not want to risk liability for that fine.
The former Real Madrid midfielder took his case to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). In October 2024, the court found that FIFA’s rules on unilateral termination of contracts by professional players breach EU law. FIFA's rules "restrict the free movement of players and competition between football clubs", it said.
Diarra has therefore returned to the Belgian courts to seek damages. The demand of 65 million euros stems from a preliminary question referred by the Mons court of appeal. According to his law firm, Dupont-Hissel, a ruling is expected within 12 to 15 months.
"I have been forced to fight this legal battle since August 2014. That's more than 11 years," Diarra said in a press release on Monday.
"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."
Diarra’s lawsuit is not the only one to follow the CJEU's ruling. Earlier this month, Dutch players’ group Justice for Players announced legal proceedings against FIFA and several European football federations, claiming income losses caused by strict transfer rules.
© PHOTO BERTRAND GUAY / AFP
Related news
