The global soccer players’ union, FIFPRO, expressed its disagreement on Monday with FIFA’s recent temporary changes to transfer rules, which were implemented following the landmark ruling in the case of former French international Lassana Diarra.
Diarra’s legal challenge against FIFA stemmed from a dispute with a club dating back to 2014. In October, the European Court of Justice ruled that certain FIFA regulations were contrary to European Union law, as they restricted freedom of movement and were deemed anti-competitive.
In response, FIFA initiated a “global dialogue” and announced interim amendments to the transfer rules, effective for the upcoming January transfer window. FIFA described these changes as a “balanced compromise” in a statement.
However, FIFPRO criticized the amendments, accusing FIFA of failing to achieve a consensus. “Following Lassana Diarra’s successful challenge against the legality of Article 17 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, FIFPRO informed FIFA of the conditions under which it could negotiate amendments to reflect the ruling,” the union stated. “Unfortunately, we have been unable to reach a consensus, and we do not agree with the temporary measures introduced by FIFA without a proper collective bargaining process. These measures do not provide legal certainty for professional footballers and fail to reflect the European Court of Justice’s judgment.”
FIFA, on the other hand, asserted that there was “a clear understanding” among all parties that the interim measures would not affect ongoing discussions about long-term amendments to the rules. The organization introduced these changes to ensure stability and certainty for the upcoming transfer window.
“FIFA looks forward to continuing its close cooperation with key stakeholders as part of the global dialogue launched in October, aiming to develop a robust, transparent, non-discriminatory, objective, and proportionate regulatory framework for professional football worldwide,” the statement added. FIFA’s legal director, Emilio Garcia Silvero, also mentioned on social media that the goal is to establish “a permanent framework that fully aligns with the ECJ’s views and has the support of all parties before July 2025.”
Diarra’s case reached the European Court of Justice after he sought damages from FIFA in Belgian courts, citing the organization’s rules as the reason for the collapse of his transfer to Belgian club Charleroi following the termination of his contract with Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow in 2014.
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