Lasana Diyala won a decade-long legal battle against FIFA and the Belgian Football Association. The Supreme Court of the EU ruled that some of FIFA's Player Identity and Transfer Regulations violated European competition law.
The key to this case lies in a FIFA decision: Diyala imposed a fine of 10.5 million euros and suspended for 15 months in 2014 for violating his contract with Moscow, Russia.
Diara was blocked from joining Charleroi, Belgium during the suspension because the RSTP system forced relevant national authorities to withhold international transfer certificates and also made the player's new club bear "joint and several liability" for compensation for the former club.
Diala had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against FIFA's ruling, but only successfully reduced some of the fines. Therefore, he filed a counterclaim against the football administration in the Belgian court, and the case was eventually appealed to the European Court of Justice and won.
Some believe this questioned the entire transfer system and could put FIFA in billions of pounds of compensation; while others argued that the ruling would be more limited because it challenged only two elements of the rule: how to determine the compensation a club deserves when a player unilaterally terminates the contract, and the view that the new club is required to bear joint and several liability for breach of contract. The founder of
JfP believes that FIFA regulations have adversely affected the salary of every professional player (both men and women). The logic is: the reason why players do not exercise their right to terminate the contract is because the consequences are too harsh and uncertain; while clubs often tear up contracts because they know that the rules system is biased towards clubs. citing preliminary analysis by economic consulting firm Compass Lexecon, JfP said they believe more than 100,000 players lost about 8% of their potential career income due to FIFA's illegal rules.
The lawsuits against FIFA and Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and the Dutch Football Association will be filed in the District Court of Midden-Netland, Netherlands, as the country's legislation best favors large class action lawsuits. Although only FIFA and these five soccer associations are sued at present, more goals can be added in the future.
JfP's board is composed of Dutch lawyers Lucia Melcherts and Dorf Segar, as well as former England assistant coach and Tottenham technical director Franko Bardini. But the organization also received advice from Jean-Louis Dibang, who is Boseman's lawyer. The Boseman case is perhaps the most important lawsuit in football history, giving players the right to free transfers without the transfer fee when they expire. The cost of class action will be borne by Deminor, an international litigation funding agency, which undertakes the case in exchange for a share of the compensation. According to JfP, the share ratio will be limited to 25% of the compensation plus litigation costs.
JfP now encourages active and retired players to contact them through their website. The case will be launched in the first quarter of 2026 and may take at least three years to make the ruling. FIFA has not responded to a request for comment, but the European Federation of Professional Football Players, who had supported the Diyala case, issued a statement saying it was a "predictable actual response" to the European Court's ruling and "recognizes players' fundamental right to seek justice, which constitutes the most significant and longest-lasting no-poaching agreement in the sports industry".
However, the last paragraph of the statement implies the possibility of a settlement. "It remains committed to conducting constructive dialogue with relevant soccer and public administration agencies and seeking cooperative solutions to ensure the long-term sustainability of football."