100,000 players join forces to sue! FIFA faces a sky-high claim of 10 billion euros, and the rules are accused of illegal

FIFA has a big deal. According to a reporter from Assad News, an organization called the "Player Justice Foundation" (JfP), representing about 100,000 professional players, sued FIFA and some national football associations to the Dutch court and demanded huge compensation. The amount of the claim may be as high as 10 billion euros! Economists estimate that the affected players may lose about 8% of their income throughout their careers, accounting for an average of more than 100,000 euros per person. The fuse of this lawsuit was a key judgment of the European Court of Justice last year. After termination of the contract with Moscow Locomotive, former French international Lhasana Diyala wanted to transfer to Charleroi, Belgium, but was fined 10.5 million euros by FIFA and 15 months of global ban. The European Court of Justice finally ruled that certain FIFA transfer regulations (particularly those that restrict players from free termination and transfer) violate EU law and hinder the free movement of players and fair competition between clubs.

What makes FIFA even more trouble is that the European Court of Justice recently made another blow: it is determined that the courts of EU countries have the right to deeply examine whether the rulings of FIFA and its arbitration institutions (CAS of the Court of Arbitration for Sports) are legal. This means that the "umbrella" established by FIFA in the past relied on Swiss law has been exposed, and players and clubs can challenge it "at the doorstep" in the future.

Attorney (and the hero of the Boseman Act that year) made Louis DuPont bluntly say: "The days when the sports organizations want to avoid EU law through compulsory arbitration are completely over!" The sports lawyer who initiated the lawsuit also pointed out: "This is a billion euro claim against FIFA, and the relevant football associations cannot escape." If the lawsuit is won, FIFA will not only have to pay a lot of money, but its power to set rules must also be completely reshaped.