Lassana Diarra does not let go. After obtaining the case before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on October 4, 2024, the former French international now demands 65 million euros in damages from FIFA. In question: transfers rules deemed contrary to European law.
The CJEU considered that the system implemented by FIFA prevented players from freely terminating their contract. An illegal mechanism that has heavily weighed on the trajectory of Diarra. Its damage, estimated at 10.5 million euros in 2014, reached 65 million today after ten years of waiting.
However, despite this legal defeat, FIFA still refuses to pay the slightest compensation. “I waited a few months before relaunching the national procedure in Belgium, thinking that FIFA would at least have the decency to contact me to offer an amicable settlement. This was not the case “deplores Diarra in a press release.
Diarra Relaunching the legal fight
Faced with this blockage, the midfielder decided to seize justice again. “In the absence of an amicable solution, it is normal to return to the national courts so that they implement the CJEU stop”explains his lawyer, Me Martin Hissel. According to him, the Belgian courts should decide within 12 to 15 months, the Belgian federation and FIFA being jointly responsible for compensation.
Supported by FIFPro and UNFP, Diarra claims a fight beyond his only person. “I wage this legal fight of course for myself, but also for all less known players who do not have the financial and psychological means to challenge FIFA before real judges”he insists. A confrontation that could rebatter world football cards.
