Can the Diarra rule affect Ribeiro?

Lucas Ribeiro Costa has shocked the football fraternity by requesting to terminate his contract with Mamelodi Sundowns.

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The Brazilian is undertaking this course of action as a consequence of the amended transfer regulations by FIFA, following former France international Lassana Diarra's legal victory against the world football governing body in October 2024. Since the Paris native was successful in his proceedings, no player had exercised the new rules — until now. As a result of the reigning Premier Soccer League Footballer of the Year being the first professional to seek enforcement of the amended regulations, there is still a lot of ambiguity surrounding what is happening and what the potential ramifications could be. Soccer Laduma's Kamogelo Motecwane spoke to agents and sports lawyers from across the world to seek clarity on the matter and what it could mean for football contracts in the future.

first professional happens to ply his trade in South Africa: Lucas Ribeiro Costa.

Following several standout performances at the FIFA Club World Cup — where he won the award for the tournament's best goal — the Brazilian has attracted global interest. Qatar SC were considered his likeliest destination, but despite rumours of prolonged negotiations with Sundowns, no deal has materialised thus far.

Ribeiro has now requested termination of his contract on grounds of “just cause,” alleging that Sundowns acted in bad faith by repeatedly inflating their asking price to Qatar SC. In a publicly released letter, the 2024/25 PSL Footballer of the Year said: