There may not be wholesale reform but ruling by European Court of Justice over transfers makes change more likely
Diarra verdict a landmark day that could alter balance of football powerJim Ratcliffe says decision on Ten Hag’s Manchester United future ‘not my call’
Fifa now has one final chance to argue differently when it makes its case to the Belgian appeal court where this case is being heard. The ECJ says the plea will have to be convincing. “An exemption only if it is demonstrated, by means of convincing arguments and evidence, that all the conditions required for that purpose are met,” it noted in the judgment.
To start with, it seems far more likely that players will be able to walk away from their contracts thanks to this ruling. It also seems likely that rules that determine who is owed compensation and how much in the event of a “without just cause” break-up will have to change, as the ECJ says “such compensation criteria seem more intended to protect the financial interests of clubs ... than to ensure the supposed smooth running of sporting competitions.
Dupont-Hissel, the legal firm representing Diarra who just happened to also be Jean-Marc Bosman’s lawyers, immediately responded to the verdict by saying that it was a “total victory” for Diarra, one that affected “all professional players” going back to 2001 and which would allow them to “seek compensation for their losses”, presumably those that came from being unable to rip up their contract and move to a club that paid them better. So yet more legal action is incoming.
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