EVERY avalanche starts with a tumbling pebble. Does the court ruling in favour of Lassana Diarra presage catastrophe for the EFL?
The specifics of the case are not especially relevant, but let’s trundle them out anyway. Diarra, right, the former Chelsea and France midfielder, wanted to join Charleroi after terminating his contract with Lokomotiv Moscow in 2014.
Under FIFA rules, both he and his new club were jointly liable to pay the Russian side compensation. Charleroi refused, FIFA withheld Diarra’s registration and the move collapsed, leading to a long battle through ...