The Dutch professional players’ union on Thursday pledged its support for the Justice for Players Foundation’s class action lawsuit against the Dutch Football Federation, global football organization FIFA and several European football associations over transfer rules.
VVCS, which represents professional footballers in the Netherlands, follows in the footsteps of the French players’ union UNFP, which last month supported a growing legal challenge against FIFA’s transfer system.
The lawsuit stems from a European court ruling that found that some FIFA transfer rules conflict with EU law and aims to bring FIFA rules into line with European principles of free movement.
JfP is a Dutch-led initiative established to advocate for the interests of professional footballers across Europe.
READ ALSO | Turkish football imposes a temporary ban on 102 players after a gambling scandal
“VVCS notes that more and more football players are contacting the organization because they are involved in transfer disputes,” said a statement.
«In some cases this leads to frustration, but VVCS also observes numerous situations involving questionable restrictions. Across Europe, thousands of players are directly disadvantaged by the current FIFA transfer rules,» it added.
“VVCS has therefore decided to support the collective action of Justice for Players (JfP) and their representation of the interests of professional football players in this initiative.”
The case centers on former Chelsea, Arsenal and Real Madrid midfielder Lassana Diarra, who was fined 10 million euros by FIFA for leaving Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow on a four-year contract.
Last October, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that some FIFA transfer rules breach European Union law and the principles of free movement in the Diarra case, opening the floodgates to the broad legal challenge.
READ ALSO | The 2028 European Championship starts in Cardiff, with Wembley hosting the final
A European class action
The Dutch players’ group had launched a European class action against FIFA earlier this year that they described as a «potentially multi-billion dollar» class action, with JfP saying an estimated 100,000 male and female professional players are eligible to join.
«The current transfer system remains unfair. For example, there are footballers who train for months without any prospect of playing matches, or who do not exercise their right to transfer to another football club under the threat of FIFA sanctions,» says VVCS chairman Evgeniy Levchenko.
“Within Europe, thousands of footballers are directly disadvantaged by the current FIFA transfer rules. Supporting justice for players is in line with our commitment to working towards a balanced system that complies with European law.”
According to VVCS, a study has shown that professional football players have earned on average about 8% less during their career than if FIFA rules were not unlawfully restrictive.
Reuters has contacted FIFA for comment.
Published on November 13, 2025
