Lucas Ribeiro Costa has terminated his contract with Mamelodi Sundowns, becoming the first footballer to benefit from Lassana Diarra's legal win against FIFA.
Brazilian forward Ribeiro, whose goal against Borussia Dortmund in June was voted best of the FIFA Club World Cup, has also referred his case to football's governing body.
In October 2024, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled in favour of midfielder Diarra after it found that FIFA's transfer rules break European Union law, a landmark victory which changed the regulations for the professional players.
The 26-year-old is being represented by Belgian lawyer Jean-Louis Dupont, who won the benchmark 1995 case involving Jean-Marc Bosman and is also representing Diarra.
After the 40-year-old terminated his contract with Lokomotiv Moscow in 2014, FIFA refused to provide him with an international transfer certificate (ITC) for a proposed move to Belgian club Charleroi in 2015.
Lawyer Dupont shared that Qatar SC made Mamelodi Sundowns an offer for Ribeiro that was "well above the player's valuation" and that he wished to join the Qatari club.
However, the South African club allegedly made the deal hard to sign, as it "attempted to drive up the price again and again in an unreasonable manner, without any regard for the player's personal interests."
Furthermore, on August 1, the Brazilian player had terminated his contract with the club, which was due to expire in 2028, with Ribeiro set to fight for his rights against the international football body.
Mentioning the former Arsenal player, the footballer noted, "Following the Diarra ruling by the CJEU, there is no doubt that the dispute between me and my former club will not prevent me from continuing my career with peace of mind."
Notably, following the Diarra ruling, FIFA has amended its transfer regulations while this week, the French former player restarted legal proceedings seeking £56 million in compensation.
