FIFA 'open dialogue' over football transfer market re-write

Cameron Smith

14 Oct 2024 12:00 BST
4 min read

FIFA have confirmed they will evaluate potential alterations to the football transfer market in the aftermath of Lassana Diarra’s court case.

The European Court of Justice ruled in Diarra’s favour after he sued FIFA for damages related to a contract dispute with Lokomotiv Moscow.

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FIFA regulations deemed he breached his contract with the Russian club and was therefore liable to pay back €10 million of his €20m transfer fee.

However, Diarra argued that he was not responsible for agreeing that fee and claimed FIFA’s refusal to provide him with an International Transfer Certificate blocked his ability to join a new club.

After ruling in Diarra’s favour, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) said: “The rules in question are such as to impede the free movement of professional footballers wishing to develop their activity by going to work for a new club.”

FIFA have now responded to the Diarra case with a statement of their own.

What have FIFA said?

FIFA Chief Legal and Compliance Officer Emilio Garcia Silvero released a statement to confirm that changes to the transfer market may be introduced soon.

“Fifa will now initiate a global dialogue with key stakeholders,” he said. “Together with them, Fifa will determine what conclusions must be drawn from the Diarra decision, and which changes are most appropriate and suitable to make.

FIFA will open a global dialogue on the transfer system, involving key stakeholders, to adapt article 17 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP).

This announcement follows on from the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the Diarra… pic.twitter.com/T75UOIaYda
— FIFA (@FIFAcom) October 14, 2024

“Fifa looks forward to developing its regulatory framework further, obviously taking into account views and input from all relevant and affected parties.

“Fifa sees the Diarra decision as an opportunity to keep modernising its regulatory framework, which has been one of the declared objectives of the Fifa president since 2016.”

Garcia Silvero continued: “Nobody, neither a club nor a player, can simply walk away from a valid contract.

“The Diarra decision addresses some important questions concerning the consequences of a breach of contract and the regulatory mechanisms which may be employed to deter a breach of contract.

“But it leaves no doubt that such regulatory mechanisms may be applied, in particular, to protect the regulations and integrity of sporting competitions.

“If players wish to be released from a contract, there will be financial consequences. If a club wishes to engage a player under a valid contract, this will often still mean that the transfer fee needs to be paid.”