World Boxing Champion Anthony Joshua Named Ambassador for Riyadh Season 

Boxing - Matchroom Press Conference - Wembley Arena, London, Britain - June 26, 2024 Anthony Joshua during the press conference Action Images via Reuters
Boxing - Matchroom Press Conference - Wembley Arena, London, Britain - June 26, 2024 Anthony Joshua during the press conference Action Images via Reuters
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World Boxing Champion Anthony Joshua Named Ambassador for Riyadh Season 

Boxing - Matchroom Press Conference - Wembley Arena, London, Britain - June 26, 2024 Anthony Joshua during the press conference Action Images via Reuters
Boxing - Matchroom Press Conference - Wembley Arena, London, Britain - June 26, 2024 Anthony Joshua during the press conference Action Images via Reuters

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority (GEA) Advisor Turki bin Abdulmohsen Al Al-Sheikh announced an agreement with British world heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua to be an ambassador for the Riyadh Season.

Joshua will contribute to promoting a wide range of global boxing events during the season, in addition to attending a variety of events during Riyadh Season, said the Saudi Press Agency on Thursday.

Al Al-Sheikh said: "We are delighted to announce the selection of Anthony Joshua, one of the most distinguished boxers in the world of boxing, as an ambassador for boxing for Riyadh season, to contribute to further expanding the reach of this sport."

Joshua said: "I've seen first-hand both through competing and attending events in Saudi Arabia just how impactful Riyadh season can be, so I am excited to start this cooperation."

"When you think of Riyadh Season, you think of best-in-class events, and I am looking forward now to playing my part in enhancing that reputation further," he added.



EU Top Court: Some FIFA Rules on Int’l Transfers Are Contrary to Bloc's Law

FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, Paris-Saint-Germain player Lassana Diarra during a French League One soccer match against Saint-Etienne at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, Paris-Saint-Germain player Lassana Diarra during a French League One soccer match against Saint-Etienne at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
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EU Top Court: Some FIFA Rules on Int’l Transfers Are Contrary to Bloc's Law

FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, Paris-Saint-Germain player Lassana Diarra during a French League One soccer match against Saint-Etienne at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, Paris-Saint-Germain player Lassana Diarra during a French League One soccer match against Saint-Etienne at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)

The European Union's top court said Friday that some FIFA rules on player transfers can conflict with European Union legislation relating to competition and freedom of movement.
The court's ruling came after former France international Lassana Diarra legally challenged FIFA rules following a dispute with a club dating back to a decade ago, The Associated Press reported.
Diarra had signed a four-year contract with Lokomotiv Moscow in 2013. The deal was terminated a year later after Diarra was unhappy with alleged pay cuts.
Lokomotiv Moscow applied to the FIFA dispute resolution chamber for compensation and the player submitted a counterclaim seeking compensation for unpaid wages. The Court of Arbitration for Sport found the Russian club terminated the contract with Diarra “with just cause” and the player was ordered to pay 10.5 million euros ($11.2 million).
Diarra claimed his search for a new club was hampered by FIFA rules stipulating that any new side would be jointly responsible with him for paying compensation to Lokomotiv.
“The rules in question are such as to impede the free movement of professional footballers wishing to develop their activity by going to work for a new club,” the court said in a statement.
The former Real Madrid player also argued that a potential deal with Belgian club Charleroi fell through because of the FIFA rules, and sued FIFA and the Belgian federation at a Belgian court for damages and loss of earnings of six million euros ($7 million). With the lawsuit still going through Belgian courts, the case was referred to the European Court of Justice for a ruling.
The Diarra case, which is supported by the global players’ union FIFPro, went through FIFA judicial bodies before the 2016 election of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who has made it a priority to modernize transfer market rules.