Arsenal take on Real Madrid in the Champions League, with the two footballing giants battling in a first-leg quarter-final clash.
It’s a huge game for Mikel Arteta and his Gunners side. A win at The Emirates would put them in a great position in preparation for the second leg at the infamous Bernabeu.
Although a few Arsenal and Madrid stars need to be careful of suspensions – talent will be abundant on the pitch. Madrid have the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Vinicius Jr – while the Gunners have William Saliba, Declan Rice, and Martin Odegaard.
The latter, in Odegaard, has featured for both sides. Much like a former player – Lassana Diarra.
Lassana Diarra played for both Arsenal and Real Madrid
Diarra had brief stints at both Arsenal and Real Madrid during his professional football career.
Arsenal (August 2007 – January 2008)
Diarra joined Arsenal from Chelsea on transfer deadline day in August 2007. His time at the club was short-lived, lasting only five months due to limited playing opportunities.
| Competition | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 0 | |
| League Cup | 3 | 0 |
| UEFA Champions League | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 11 | 0 |
Real Madrid (January 2009 – August 2012)
Diarra transferred to Real Madrid in January 2009 for a fee of approximately £18 million. He became a regular part of the squad during his time in Spain.
| Competition | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 87 | 1 | |
| UEFA Champions League | 19 | 0 |
| Copa del Rey | 11 | 0 |
| Total | 117 | 1 |
But beyond the football, Diarra now has a chance to change the trajectory of football transfers as we know it.
How the Lassana Diarra case works
The Lassana Diarra case revolves around a legal dispute between the French footballer and his former club, Lokomotiv Moscow, which has led to significant implications for FIFA’s transfer regulations.
HITC spoke to GRV Media’s Football Finance expert Adam Williams, and he broke down the case to make it easier to understand.
“The easiest comparison in terms of significance in football is the Bosman ruling in 1995,” Adam begins.
“That rewired football’s transfer regulation system and legal experts say the Diarra case has the potential to do the same, though we’re still waiting for how it will shake out in practice.
“Basically, Diarra was in a dispute with Lokomotiv Moscow in 2014. He’d moved there a year earlier and, at the time, was refusing to play because of a dispute with the club.
“Lokomotiv said this was a breach of contract and terminated his deal.
“Diarra was fined by FIFA and, shortly after, was offered a deal by Belgian side Charleroi.
“The club wanted assurances from FIFA, however, that they wouldn’t be liable to pay any compensation to Lokomotiv.“
“However, FIFA’s system demands that league that a player is leaving gives the player what is known as an international transfer certificate. As Lokomotiv hadn’t been paid, he didn’t get a certificate.
“That was the reason Diarra took FIFA and the Belgian league to court for loss of earnings. It was a legal process that would ultimately last 10 years, finishing in the European Court of Justice.
“Diarra was successful in the case and ECJ ruled that FIFA’s transfer rules are against EU law, which means the governing body have to revise their rules on the international transfer certificate and the compensation system.
“It’s complicated, but the most succinct way to explain it is that the ruling is expected to lead to much more player power.
At the moment, FIFA have introduced an interim regulatory frameworks under which, if a player can demonstrate ‘just cause’, they can end their contract with a club without penalty.
“For example, if a player is being frozen out and forced to train with the reserves, as happened with Chelsea’s ‘bomb squad’ last summer, that could be grounds for them to end their contract early.
“As yet, we’ve only had one transfer window under this new temporary system, so we’re still waiting to see what the effects will be.
“In any case, FIFA will be forced to change its rules on a more wholesale basis soon. They are facing pressure from FIFPro and other player organisations who don’t think the interim position goes far enough.“
A quite remarkable case, which still has the potential to reshape the football transfer system significantly as we know it.
The post He played for both Arsenal and Real Madrid – now his legal case could change football as we know it appeared first on HITC.
