Former France midfielder Lassana Diarra has settled his long-running legal dispute with FIFA and the Belgian Football Association, ending a case that prompted significant changes to global football transfer regulations.
Report on Monday said that Diarra had reached a comprehensive agreement with the parties involved in a legal battle valued at about 65 million euros ($76 million).
The case stemmed from a landmark ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in October 2024, which found that certain FIFA transfer regulations restricted the free movement of players and exposed both players and clubs to excessive legal, financial and sporting risks.
The ruling was seen as a major challenge to FIFA’s transfer system and led the governing body to revise its regulations governing player transfers.
Diarra, who played for Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid, had sought to enforce the CJEU judgment through Belgian courts after settlement talks with FIFA failed.
In a statement, FIFA confirmed that all legal proceedings involving Diarra had been resolved. “Following the comprehensive agreement they reached, Mr. Lassana Diarra and FIFA have settled all legal proceedings between them,” FIFA said.
The governing body added that it “does not acknowledge any wrongdoing and has not made any compensation payments”.
Diarra’s legal representatives have declined to comment. The dispute originated from the midfielder’s departure from Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow in 2014 after a substantial reduction in his salary. The club argued that his contract termination was unjustified and initially sought 20 million euros in damages, a figure later reduced to 10.5 million euros.
The sanctions linked to the case discouraged Belgian club Charleroi from signing Diarra, amid concerns it could become liable for part of the compensation.
Following the CJEU judgment, FIFA introduced amendments to its transfer regulations to align them with European legal requirements. The ruling also inspired broader efforts to reform football’s transfer system.
The Justice for Players Foundation launched a class-action lawsuit seeking greater fairness for professional footballers, with support from several national players’ unions, including France’s National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP).
The settlement brings to a close one of the most significant legal challenges to football’s transfer framework in recent years.