The court of justice of the European Union (CJEU) has said key Fifa rules governing the transfer system are “contrary to EU law”, which could have explosive consequences for the future of club football.
The resolution of Fifa v the player “BZ” – AKA the former Chelsea, Arsenal and Portsmouth midfielder Lassana Diarra – will cause great uncertainty across the game. It contains two key judgments after the court found that rules relating to the authorisation of transfers for players restrict freedom of movement, a key tenet of EU law, and that current rules requiring buying clubs to cover the cost of compensation for a player who breaks a contract “without just cause” are anticompetitive.
