Fifa’s transfer rules go against European Union law, rules EU’s highest court

The transfer rules of Fifa, world football’s governing body, go against European Union laws, the EU’s highest court said in a ruling on a high-profile case linked to the former France player Lassana Diarra on Friday, citing the bloc’s free movement principles.

“The rules in question are such as to impede the free movement of professional footballers wishing to develop their activity by going to work for a new club,” said the Luxembourg-based court of justice of the European Union (CJEU).

Fifa’s regulations on the status and transfer of players (RSTP) say a player who terminates a contract before its term “without just cause” is liable to pay compensation to the club, and where the player joins a new club they will be joint and severally liable for payment of compensation.

Diarra signed a four-year contract with Lokomotiv Moscow in 2013. The deal was terminated a year later after Diarra was unhappy with alleged pay cuts. The former Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid player claimed his search for a new club was hampered by Fifa’s rules stipulating that any new side would be jointly responsible with him for paying compensation to Lokomotiv.

Diarra case was supported by the global players’ union, FifPro, and went through Fifa’s judicial bodies.

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