Ex-Arsenal and Chelsea star poised to make history with biggest deal of all-time on Friday
A former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder is currently involved in a saga which could potentially change football forever. There have been several legal battles which...
A former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder is currently involved in a saga which could potentially change football forever.
There have been several legal battles which have defined football over the years, with the Bosman Ruling in 1995 perhaps the most famous.
The outcome of that case saw footballers able to move freely to other clubs at the end of their contracts, overhauling football’s financial ecosystem alsmost overnight.
Similarly, there have been several legal challenges to the European Super League project previously backed by both Chelsea and Arsenal.
But if successful, the latest attempt to rewire the structures of the contract system could have far more significant implications than either of those two initiatives.
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FIFA legal battle set to be resolved on Friday
Lassana Diarra, now 39, joined Chelsea in 2005 before later moving to Arsenal for a brief period and later Portsmouth.
After five seasons at Real Madrid, Diarra was offered a mega-money deal in Russia by Anzhi Makhachkala, who he swapped for fellow Russian Premier League club Lokomotiv Moscow in 2013.
That move did not end well, with the France international falling out with Lokomotiv boss Leonid Kuchuk and ordered to take a pay cut.
Diarra rejected the reduction to his pay and eventually stopped turning up to training, which led the three-time Russian Premier League champions to terminate his deal and take the case to FIFA.
World football’s governing body handed Diarra a major fine and ordered him to pay substantial costs.
Diarra was then the subject of an offer from Beligan side Royal Charleroi, but they reneged on the proposal after it became clear that they would be liable to any extra compensation to Lokomotiv.
The European Court of Justice will rule on Friday whether this constituted a restriction of free trade and a contravention of EU labour law.
If successful, Diarra’s challenge against FIFA’s refusal to grant him an international transfer certificate will set a precedent which could essentially overhaul the entire transfer system.
The implications for Arsenal and Chelsea
If Diarra succeeds, football’s regulatory environment will be changed forever.
That will have major implications for the owners of Chelsea and Arsenal, whose financial outlook would have to be radically reassessed.
It would likely lead to more collective action from players and managers, which would reset the balance of power between owners and the sporting side of the game.
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