Giant Legal Action against FIFA: Diarra's Decision Sparks Epic Lawsuit
Class-Action Lawsuit Against FIFA and European Football Associations Challenges Decades-Old Transfer Regulations
A significant legal battle has been initiated against FIFA and several European national football associations. The Dutch foundation Justice for Players (JfP) filed a class-action lawsuit in the Dutch District Court of Midden-Nederland in August 2025, alleging that FIFA's transfer regulations, in place since 2002, unlawfully restricted professional footballers’ freedom of movement and caused them financial losses.
The lawsuit represents approximately 100,000 affected players across EU member states and the UK. This legal action is based on the October 2024 Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruling in the case brought by footballer Lassana Diarra and FIFPRO, which found that FIFA’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players violated EU competition law and the right to free movement of workers by enforcing overly restrictive transfer rules that hindered players from terminating contracts without just cause.
As of early August 2025, the lawsuit is formally filed and seeks compensation for the broad group of players affected over two decades. The case is proceeding under the Dutch Act on the Settlement of Mass Damages in Collective Action (WAMCA), a legal framework conducive to mass claims. Currently, FIFA and five European football federations (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, and the Netherlands) are defendants, with the possibility of expanding to more associations.
FIFA has been given a deadline until early September 2025 to respond to the legal threat. No public statement from FIFA has been made yet; some national associations acknowledge the claim but are reviewing it internally. Justice for Players anticipates that if the case does not settle, it could reach trial by 2029, with significant financial consequences for FIFA and involved football associations, given the scale of the damages sought (potentially billions of euros).
Jean-Louis Dupont, the lawyer behind the landmark Diarra and Bosman rulings, is advising JfP. A preliminary analysis from Compass Lexeon suggests that professional footballers affected by the unlawful Fifa regulations have earned approximately eight percent less throughout their careers. Leading litigation funder Deminor will be funding JfP's legal action, with the Foundation stating that players will not have to pay to join the lawsuit.
The JfP Foundation has instructed Netherlands-based firm Finch Dispute Resolution to represent it in the class action lawsuit. Daniel Gore, senior associate in the dispute resolution team at law firm Withers, stated that FIFA will find it difficult to put forward a robust defense to these claims in light of the ECJ’s decision in the Diarra case.
This lawsuit, if successful, could set a precedent affecting future football labor mobility and compensation policy, challenging the legality of FIFA’s transfer regulations that have shaped international football for over 20 years.
- The Dutch foundation Justice for Players (JfP) has initiated a class-action lawsuit against FIFA and several European national football associations, alleging that FIFA's transfer regulations, in place since 2002, have unlawfully restricted professional footballers’ freedom of movement and caused financial losses.
- The lawsuit seeks compensation for approximately 100,000 affected players across EU member states and the UK, based on a 2024 Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruling that found FIFA’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players violated EU competition law and the right to free movement of workers.
- The case, filed in the Dutch District Court of Midden-Nederland, is proceeding under the Dutch Act on the Settlement of Mass Damages in Collective Action (WAMCA), with FIFA and five European football federations (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, and the Netherlands) as defendants; more associations may be added.
- If the case does not settle, it could reach trial by 2029, with significant financial consequences for FIFA and involved football associations, given the scale of the damages sought (potentially billions of euros).
- Jean-Louis Dupont, the lawyer behind the landmark Diarra and Bosman rulings, is advising JfP, while leading litigation funder Deminor is funding the Foundation's legal action.
- The Financial industry may be affected by this legal action, as the lawsuit's success could lead to changes in personal-finance for countless professional footballers, potentially impacting career-development, education-and-self-development, and sports-betting opportunities across European leagues, including the premier-league.
