Lassana Diarra: Fifa adapts transfer regulations after ruling over former France international
Former France international Diarra, 39, has been embroiled in a series of legal disputes since terminating his contract with Lokomotiv Moscow in 2014.
After a dispute with head coach Leonid Kuchuk, Lokomotiv claimed Diarra refused to attend training or accept lower wages and sacked him three years before his contract expired.
In 2016, a FIFA ruling – upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) – found Diarra liable for breach of contract, ordered him to pay Lokomotiv €10m (£8.4m) and suspended his career Football matches for 15 months. .
When Diarra subsequently agreed to join Charleroi, the club sought assurances that they would not pay any compensation to Lokomotiv.
Subsequently, FIFA refused to issue an ITC to Charleroi and clubs around the world required it to register newly signed players, so the deal fell through.
Diarra’s lawyers disputed this specific rule, which makes clubs wishing to sign a player jointly and severally liable to the player’s old club and risk sporting sanctions if the player’s previous contract is terminated without just cause. .
They have also challenged a rule that allows a player’s former club’s national association to withhold ITC in the event of a dispute, which they say has also hampered the move.
The court ruled that FIFA should not use the ITC system to prevent players in breach of their contracts from relocating and working where they choose.
Some of FIFA’s transfer rules must be modified to remain valid in the EU.
