Professional players have the right to obtain compensation
Act Now.
Background
October 4, 2024The Court of Justice of the European Union issued the Diarra ruling.
Result: for over twenty years, thousands of careers have been hindered, cutting an average of 8% of professional players’ income.
Today, European justice paves the way for compensation.
Urgency
Why Act Now?
Time is against You
The statute of limitations began running from the Diarra ruling. Waiting, therefore, risks the expiration of one’s rights. Time is against the players: the sooner the action is initiated, the greater its chances of leading to effective compensation.
Every Season Counts
A footballer’s career is inherently limited. Every season counts, every missed opportunity weighs heavily in a career that lasts only about ten years at the highest level. Letting a chance for compensation pass means accepting to permanently lose a part of what could have been gained.
A New Path to Compensation
Finally, for the first time, a clear and solid framework is recognized at the European level. The Diarra ruling has opened a new path: it allows players to claim proportionate damages, based on Union law, and to obtain real compensation for the harm suffered.
Issues
What is the Harm?
The primary harm directly concerns players who experienced a breach of contract and were sanctioned by FIFA’s illicit mechanisms. They had to bear disproportionate indemnities or administrative blockages unrelated to the actual harm suffered by their club.
But beyond these situations, all players have been affected by a loss of opportunity.
Each career was constrained by the fear of an overly costly termination or a paralyzed transfer, leading to the impossibility of signing a more advantageous contract or accessing a better sporting opportunity.
According to econometric experts, these restrictions represent an average loss equivalent to 8% of the income received by professional players between 2001 and 2024.
Process
The Main Steps of the Procedure
Check your Eligibility
Free, in 60 seconds, and without obligation.
Build your Case
Direct exchanges or through your agents to trace your career and obtain proof of your harm.
Initiate the Action
Before a specialized judicial court, with the support of a major litigation fund.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is this Action Being Brought against FIFA and the FFF?
Since when Have these Rules been in Force, and What Period Do We Cover?
What is Illegal in the Current Transfer Rules?
The CJEU censured several mechanisms:
- unpredictable and disproportionate termination indemnities;
- automatic joint and several liability of the new club, without considering actual circumstances;
- automatic sporting sanctions, such as a ban on recruiting for two transfer windows;
- the blocking of the international transfer certificate, allowing the former club to arbitrarily block a player.
These practices constitute clear obstacles to the free movement of workers (Art. 45 TFEU) and illicit restrictions on competition (Art. 101 TFEU).
Who Can Join this Action?
The action is open to all professional players who have played in France during their career in a period between 2002 and 2024, a period during which FIFA's transfer rules were applied by the French Football Federation (FFF).
This includes:
- players who have suffered a sporting or financial sanction in connection with an early termination of contract;
- contracted players whose transfer to France was blocked or delayed by the FIFA system;
- those who were forced to extend an unfavorable contract due to lack of mobility;
- more broadly, any player who has lost income or career opportunities due to the mechanisms deemed illegal.
Player agents linked to careers conducted in France can also join the action: the loss of commissions related to these obstacles constitutes a distinct economic harm.
What can I expect to recover at the end of this action?
What can I expect to recover at the end of this action?
Econometric studies establish that players have lost an average of 8% of their annual remuneration due to FIFA rules. Depending on the case, the harm may correspond to:
- sums paid as indemnities or sporting sanctions;
- missed contracts or transfers;
- a decrease in market value;
- losses of career or future income.
The amount will be assessed individually for each player.
What are the Chances of Success for this Action?
They are very high. The principle of unlawfulness has been definitively established since the Diarra ruling.
The discussion will now focus on the quantum of damages. National jurisdictions have a precise framework, inspired by European Directive 2014/104/EU, to ensure the effectiveness of compensatory actions.
When Can a Decision be Expected, and What should be Done Now?
A first-instance decision could be rendered within 2 to 3 years, with a comparable appeal timeline (24 to 36 months).
The duration will depend, in particular, on the appointment of a judicial expert to quantify the damages.
Players must now come forward and provide their documents (contracts, transfer offers, blocked certificates, pay slips). This is essential to build a strong case and maximize the chances of compensation.