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A group comprising both current and former footballers is reportedly preparing to file a class-action lawsuit against FIFA, challenging the organisation’s existing transfer regulations.
The legal action, spearheaded by the Netherlands-based advocacy group Justice for Players (JfP), seeks billions of euros in compensation for footballers who have played in the United Kingdom or European Union.
According to the Daily Mail, the group alleges that FIFA’s current transfer system has cost thousands of players potential earnings.
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In addition to FIFA, the lawsuit targets several national football associations, including those of France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands. These associations have been given a deadline in September to formally respond.
JfP claims that as many as 100,000 male and female players could be part of the class-action suit. The case is being heard in the Dutch district court of Midden Nederland, chosen for its favourable laws surrounding large-scale collective actions.
While England's Football Association is not listed as a defendant, reports indicate it has been served with a copy of the legal documents.
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If successful, the lawsuit could usher in significant reforms within global football, potentially granting players greater autonomy, including the right to unilaterally terminate their contracts.
The case follows a landmark ruling by the European Court of Justice (CJEU) in October 2024, which deemed aspects of FIFA’s transfer rules to be in violation of European Union laws on competition and the free movement of workers.
The decision stemmed from a legal battle involving former French international Lassana Diarra.
Diarra, who previously played for Chelsea and Real Madrid, was ordered to pay €10.5 million (£8.8 million) to Lokomotiv Moscow in 2014 after allegedly breaching his contract.
FIFA imposed a 15-month suspension, which was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, ultimately blocking his transfer to Belgian side Charleroi. Diarra later countersued and won his case, with the CJEU ruling that FIFA’s regulations breached EU law.
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JfP is being advised by Diarra’s legal representative, Jean-Louis Dupont, who played a key role in the Bosman ruling that reshaped European football in the 1990s.
The group’s board also includes Franco Baldini, a former assistant coach to Fabio Capello during his tenure with the England national team.