What is the Diarra ruling?

The case

Lokomotiv Moscow ended Diarra's contract in 2014 and claimed compensation. FIFA's dispute chamber ordered him to pay EUR 10.5 million. A Belgian club, Charleroi, wanted to sign him but would not go ahead while it risked being jointly liable for that sum and the transfer certificate was uncertain. Diarra sued, and a Belgian court asked the EU court for a ruling.

What the court found

The court held that FIFA's rules on compensation for breach of contract, a new club's joint liability, sporting sanctions and the transfer certificate, as they stood, could restrict the free movement of players and competition between clubs, beyond what was necessary.

What changed

FIFA adopted interim rules and then a new edition of its Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, negotiated with players' and clubs' representatives, in force from 1 January 2027. FIFA says the new rules balance player and club rights in line with the ruling.

• A player whose contract was ended unilaterally can be registered outside a window after a quick check by FIFA.
• Players earning under EUR 150,000 a year get 5 per cent of the fixed fee when sold abroad.
• Future changes to the rules are to be made by consensus with the social partners.