Lawsuit over transfer rules: FIFA reaches agreement with Diarra

FIFA did not specify what this agreement looks like in concrete terms. Diarra's previous lawyer initially told dpa that he knew nothing about an agreement.

Former professional Diarra had sued FIFA and the Belgian association in the summer of 2025 for compensation amounting to 65 million euros. This followed a ruling by the European Court of Justice in 2024 that certain FIFA transfer rules violated EU law.

Diarra and FIFA have now settled all legal disputes, the association announced. He emphasized: "FIFA has neither admitted its guilt nor paid any compensation." The world governing body does not wish to comment further on the matter at this time.

The background to the long-running dispute was Diarra's departure from his then club Lokomotiv Moscow in 2014 despite still having a contract. The club accused the player of breaching his contract and contacted FIFA, which then fined Diarra more than 10 million euros.

Subsequently, other clubs refrained from signing Diarra because the FIFA regulations at the time stipulated that a new club was liable for the player and had to pay any penalties. In its ruling, the ECJ criticized the fact that this restricted the free movement of players granted by EU law and competition between clubs. According to FIFA, it then set about revising its rules.

As a result of the case, the organization "Justice for Players" prepared class action lawsuits against FIFA and the national associations in the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Denmark and Germany. It argues that the new FIFA regulations are inadequate and that there is no compensation for players who have been wronged in the past. The impact of the FIFA settlement with Diarra remains unclear for the time being.