Lassana Diarra seeks £56m Compensation from FIFA and Belgian FA in transfer case.

Former France international Lassana Diarra is demanding 65 million euros £56m) from FIFA and the Belgian football association as part of a long-running legal battle, the player's lawyer announced on Monday.

Diarra's challenge to FIFA prompted world football's governing body to amend its transfer rules after a landmark legal ruling last year, but he has been unable to reach a settlement.

His lawyer Martin Hissel said the claim was for "compensation... (for) damage caused as a result of these FIFA rules" on transfers, which the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled to be contrary to European law last October.

"Following a ruling by the CJEU, in the absence of an amicable solution, the next logical step is to return to the national courts so that they can implement the CJEU ruling," Hissel said in a statement.

"That is therefore what we are doing now, on the basis of a very clear CJEU ruling that has settled all the key legal points. The Belgian courts should hand down their decisions in 12 to 15 months."

The CJEU in October found that FIFA rules impede the free movement of players by "imposing considerable legal risks, unforeseeable and potentially very high financial risks as well as major sporting risks on those players and clubs wishing to employ them", thereby disrupting the transfer system.

At the request of the Belgian courts, the Luxembourg-based CJEU examined the case brought by Diarra, who 10 years ago had contested the conditions of his departure from Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow.

In August 2014, Lokomotiv Moscow terminated Diarra's contract citing contractual breaches by the player. The Russian side also sought 20 million euros compensation from him.

Diarra, who played in the Premier League said he hoped Fifa and the RBFA "would at least have the decency to approach me to propose an amicable settlement".

With that not being the case, the 40-year-old has decided to restart national proceedings in Belgium.

"I have been forced to fight this legal battle since August 2014. That's more than 11 years," Diarra said in a joint media release.

"I am doing this for myself - 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," Diarra said.

CBI NEWS reports that Fifa spokesperson said: "Since the ECJ issued its ruling in the Diarra case in October 2024, Fifa has been working with its stakeholders to amend its regulations following the guidance offered by the ECJ.

"Fifa does not comment on on-going legal matters."

The CJEU ruling also prompted Dutch foundation Justice for Players (JFP) to start a class action lawsuit against Fifa, along with the football associations of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark, seeking compensation over alleged loss of income because of restrictive transfer rules.