Former France international Lassana Diarra has filed a claim for €65 million ($76 million) in damages against FIFA and the Belgian Football Association, escalating a decade-long challenge to world football’s transfer rules. His lawyers said the action follows “unsuccessful settlement negotiations” after the European Court of Justice ruled last October that sections of FIFA’s regulations breach European Union labour and competition law. The dispute began in 2014 when Diarra attempted to join Belgian side Charleroi after terminating his contract with Lokomotiv Moscow. FIFA held the midfielder and any prospective club liable for compensation to Lokomotiv, a stance later upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport and which forced Diarra to sit out the 2014-15 season. The ECJ subsequently found the rules restricting free movement of players unlawful, a decision Diarra now seeks to enforce in Belgian courts. Diarra, 40, played for clubs including Chelsea, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain before retiring in 2019. His case is backed by global players’ union FIFPro, which is also preparing a class-action lawsuit that could cover up to 100,000 players affected by the contested regulations. FIFA said it would not comment on ongoing litigation but noted it is working with stakeholders to revise its transfer rules in line with the ECJ judgment.