Lassana Diarra Launches $76m Legal Battle Against FIFA in Transfer Dispute
Lassana Diarra, a former Real Madrid midfielder and French international, has sued the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) for $76 million following a protracted transfer issue.
The 39-year-old says his contract dispute with Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow, which began in 2015, was handled improperly by the world football governing body.
Following the controversy, the former French international was ordered to pay the club €10.5 million in compensation and was barred from playing for more than a year.
Diarra reportedly claims in his lawsuit that FIFA’s decision ruined his career and market value while he was at the top of his game.
He is now requesting $76 million in damages for opportunities he claims were missed due to the decision, as well as lost income and image rights.
With Marseille and then Paris Saint-Germain, the midfielder—who played for top teams like Arsenal, Chelsea, and Real Madrid and earned 34 caps for France—eventually made a comeback to football but found it difficult to restore his former level of play.
Lawyers for the 40-year-old former midfielder cited “unsuccessful settlement negotiations with FIFA” as the reason for the financial claim for damages throughout his career.
“Lassana Diarra is claiming €65m gross (€35m net) in compensation from FIFA and the Belgian Football Association,” his legal firm Dupont Hissel said in a statement.
FIFA said it would not comment on “ongoing legal matters”—the latest high-stakes legal challenge to its authority.
Football’s governing body said in a statement it “has been working with its stakeholders to amend its regulations following the guidance offered by the ECJ.”
