JEAN-LOUIS DUPONT, the lawyer who changed the course of sporting history in the Bosman case, is looking to repeat the performance with a claim against FIFA, UEFA and Barcelona on behalf of Romanian midfielder Gheorghe Hagi.

The action is designed to allow players from countries with special treaties with the European Union to be treated on a par with EU players.

Xavier Anoveros, a lawyer who is working alongside Dupont, said: "After the Bosman sentence no fee can be charged for a transfer if a player is out of contract.

"Players from countries which have labour equality agreements with the EU can have the same treatment as if they were community players."

Barcelona had asked Galatasaray for £1,220,000 as a fee for Hagi's transfer in the summer and have retained part of his final pay-cheque after both the club and Hagi refused to make the payment.

Bosman's lawyer, Dupont, argues further that Barcelona, UEFA and FIFA should not be allowed to endanger Hagi's professional relationship with Galatasaray.

The case involving Belgian player Jean-Marc Bosman led to a rewriting of the rule book a year ago concerning players' rights, after a Brussels court outlawed quotas that limited the number of EU players in sports sides