Justice for Players: Multi-billion-pound class action lawsuit against Fifa bolstered by Dutch union
The class action lawsuit being brought against football’s world governing body Fifa and backed by the lawyers who achieved the landmark Bosman and Diarra rulings has been bolstered by support from another national player union.
The Association of Contract Players (VVCS), which represents male and female professional footballers in the Netherlands, has joined the legal battle being led by the Justice for Players (JfP) Foundation launched earlier this year.
JfP is arguing that Fifa’s transfer regulations, deemed unlawfully restrictive by European courts last year, harmed players’ earnings by an average of eight per cent over the course of a career and is seeking compensation which could run into billions of pounds.
The lawsuit, which is open to all footballers from the European Union and UK, is also seeking “substantive changes to the Fifa transfer rules so that they comply with EU law and reflect European values and principles of free movement”, the VVCS said.
“The current transfer system remains unfair,” added VVCS chair Evgeniy Levchenko, a former professional footballer.
“For example, there are footballers who train for months without any prospect of playing matches, or who refrain from exercising their right to transfer to another football club under threat of Fifa sanctions.
“Within Europe, thousands of footballers are directly disadvantaged by the current Fifa transfer rules. Supporting Justice for Players aligns with our commitment to work towards a balanced system that complies with European law.”
VVCS backing ‘shows Fifa rules are unfair’
VVCS’s support follows that of its French counterpart UNFP, which announced it had joined the class action last month.
“The decision of VVCS to publicly support the Justice for Players class action represents another important step forward in our efforts to ensure that the rights of professional footballers are respected and upheld under European law,” said JfP chair Lucia Melcherts.
“VVCS’s support underlines the growing recognition that the current transfer system is unfair and needs to change. Reforming these rules and securing fair compensation for players are essential to a more transparent and fair future for professional footballers.”
Dupont-Hissel, the law firm that represented former Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Arsenal player Lassana Diarra in his landmark case, is advising JfP, which is being represented by Dutch class action specialists Finch Dispute Resolution.
Dupont-Hissel partner Jean-Louis Dupont also helped to secure the 1995 Bosman ruling, which removed transfer fees for European-based footballers who had reached the end of their contracts.
Fifa is in the process of amending its global transfer rules in light of the Diarra ruling, which was delivered by the European Court of Justice.
The JfP legal action is being funded by legal finance provider Deminor, meaning that players do not have to take on any financial risk if they join it.