Lassana Diarra agreement does not end collective action against FIFA | OneFootball

FIFA announced on Monday it had reached an agreement with Lassana Diarra after 12 years of litigation, saying it admitted no liability and paid no compensation. The deal does not resolve the wider collective action built on the EU court’s criticism of transfer rules.

The former France midfielder, who played for Real Madrid and PSG, had sought 65 million euros following an October 2024 Court of Justice of the EU ruling that found parts of FIFA’s transfer regulations unlawful.

Under the RSTJ regulation, players effectively could not leave a club unless two clubs agreed a transfer fee. Diarra was fined more than 10 million euros after leaving Lokomotiv Moscow. Backed by the UNFP and FIFPRO, he prevailed before the EU court, which said the rules could impede the free movement of professional footballers.

Diplomatically, FIFPRO, UEFA and FIFA have been negotiating a social dialogue platform to co‑draft a new transfer framework, but progress has dragged for months. Unions have threatened court action if there are no substantive advances. An emerging rival to FIFPRO in Spain has attracted Brazil, Mexico and Switzerland.

The judicial strand led solely by Diarra is the dispute FIFA says it has now settled. His Belgian lawyer, Jean-Louis Dupont, declined to comment.

The third strand is a class action from the Justice for players foundation, backed by several national unions, due to be filed this summer in the Netherlands. It seeks damages for all professionals who played in a top division between 2002 and 2025, relying on the EU court ruling.

FIFA has for months sought the class action’s abandonment, linking any social dialogue platform to unions halting their support. The effort remains in play.

Source: L'Équipe