FIFA open door to major rule change that would impact on transfer market

FIFA have announced that a dialogue will be opened with a view to potential alterations to the transfer market, following a ruling from the European Court of Justice. In 2014, former Real Madrid midfielder Lassana Diarra unilaterally rescinded his contract with Lokomotiv Moscow, but was forbidden by FIFA to sign for Charleroi.

The 39-year-old Diarra was not able to sign for Charleroi at the time, but after a year out of the game did sign for Olympique Marseille. He would go on to play for Al-Jazira and Paris Saint-Germain before retiring in 2019. The move to Belgium was halted by FIFA though, under a breach of contract, detail Diario AS. However after a court dispute was settled in Diarra’s favour, which would have seen the Frenchman fined €10m by FIFA in compensation, football’s governing body have announced a fresh review of the current Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players.

FIFA have announced they will review their current transfer rules, following a European Court of Justice ruling on Lassana Diarra. More below. pic.twitter.com/xoLGoKomR1

— Football España (@footballespana_) October 14, 2024

Director of Legal Services at FIFA, Emilio Garcia Silvero, announced this on Twitter/X from FIFA’s official account, noting that they will invite relevant stakeholders into the conversation to update their regulations and look at the current transfer system.

The Diarra ruling clearly threatens not only FIFA’s ability to adjudicate football transfers, something Garcia denied, but also the very system itself. If players were unilaterally able to rescind their deals, it would fundamentally alter the face of football and the way transfers are conducted. FIFA and the clubs will no doubt look to reinforce the regulations to protect their positions.

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