The European Court of Justice decided some of the rules imposed by the global governing body restrict freedom of movement and are anti-competitive.This has resulted from a challenge by former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Lassana Diarra in a long-running legal battle with Fifa over the termination of his contract with Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow in 2014.The decision could "change the landscape of professional football", according to the world players' union FIFPRO.
The second allows the national association of the player's former club to withhold an international transfer certificate where there is a contract dispute.Fifa sources had questioned the significance of the ITC rule prior to Friday's judgement, pointing out that in all cases where a club wishing to sign a player involved in a dispute referred the matter to Fifa, registration with the new club was permitted.