Lassana Diarra vs FIFA: Ex-Chelsea star demands $75 MILLION in damages over failed transfer

Former France international Lassana Diarra has escalated his long-running legal fight with FIFA, seeking a staggering $76 million (£55m) in damages after what he describes as a career-altering transfer dispute. 

The 40-year-old, who once played for Chelsea, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, is pursuing the claim against both FIFA and the Belgian Football Association following last year’s European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling that some aspects of FIFA’s transfer rules violate EU labour and competition law.

According to his legal representatives, the law firm Dupont Hissel, Diarra is claiming “€65m gross (€35m net) in compensation from FIFA and the Belgian Football Association” after what they describe as “unsuccessful settlement negotiations with FIFA”.

In a statement released through his lawyers, Diarra explained as reported by ESPN: 

"But I have also done it for all the up and coming, lesser known players who do not have the financial and psychological means to challenge FIFA before real judges”

“I am doing this for myself. And if I have been able to hold out against the FIFA steamroller, it is because I had a good career.

Diarra, who retired in 2019 after a spell with Paris Saint-Germain, insists that the lost year of his career and the constraints placed upon his freedom to work deserve financial redress.

 His lawyers also revealed they are pursuing a wider class action lawsuit against FIFA and several European federations that could benefit as many as 100,000 players over the last two decades.

The case stems from Diarra’s fallout with his former club Lokomotiv Moscow, which ultimately prevented him from joining Belgian side Charleroi in 2014.

 At the time, FIFA’s regulations required both player and new club to compensate the former employer if a contract was terminated without “just cause.” 

The case was later referred to the ECJ in Luxembourg, which found in October 2024 that such transfer rules “hinder the free movement of players and competition between clubs.” 

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld Lokomotiv’s claim, forcing Diarra into a season-long absence from football in 2014–15.

This judgement, hailed as a watershed moment in football labour law, is now being leveraged by Diarra to claim damages from the governing body. 

However, FIFA has stated it “would not comment on on-going legal matters” but noted it “has been working with its stakeholders to amend its regulations following the guidance offered by the ECJ.”

The case, now back in court in Belgium, is backed by FIFPRO, the international players’ union, as well as its European division and the French players’ union. 

Experts suggest Diarra’s claim could open the floodgates to further compensation demands from players whose careers were hindered by FIFA’s contractual restrictions.