France Winger Diaby Joins Saudi’s Al-Ittihad 

Soccer Football - Europa Conference League - Semi Final - First Leg - Aston Villa v Olympiacos - Villa Park, Birmingham, Britain - May 2, 2024 Aston Villa's Moussa Diaby celebrates scoring their second goal. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - Europa Conference League - Semi Final - First Leg - Aston Villa v Olympiacos - Villa Park, Birmingham, Britain - May 2, 2024 Aston Villa's Moussa Diaby celebrates scoring their second goal. (Reuters)
TT
20

France Winger Diaby Joins Saudi’s Al-Ittihad 

Soccer Football - Europa Conference League - Semi Final - First Leg - Aston Villa v Olympiacos - Villa Park, Birmingham, Britain - May 2, 2024 Aston Villa's Moussa Diaby celebrates scoring their second goal. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - Europa Conference League - Semi Final - First Leg - Aston Villa v Olympiacos - Villa Park, Birmingham, Britain - May 2, 2024 Aston Villa's Moussa Diaby celebrates scoring their second goal. (Reuters)

France winger Moussa Diaby has joined Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad, where he will team up with compatriots Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante under French coach Laurent Blanc, the Saudi club said Wednesday.

The 25-year-old who began his career with Paris Saint-Germain leaves English club Aston Villa after just one season following his transfer from Leverkusen a year ago.

He played 54 matches for Villa last season, scoring 10 goals and making nine assists.

In a statement on Wednesday, Al-Ittihad said Diaby was joining on a five-year contract, adding that he has arrived in the club's training camp in Spain, without mentioning the value of the deal.

"He will be a significant asset to the team," Al-Ittihad CEO Domingos Oliveira said in a statement.

The announcement comes nearly two weeks after former France manager Blanc was announced as the next coach of Al-Ittihad, reuniting with Benzema who was in his Euro 2012 squad.

The Al-Ittihad squad also includes N'Golo Kante, a starter in the France team that reached the last four at the current Euros, and former Monaco and Liverpool Brazilian Fabinho.



F1 Seeks to Spice up Monaco GP with More Mandatory Pitstops

Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc drives during the third practice session of the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix on May 25, 2024. (AFP)
Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc drives during the third practice session of the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix on May 25, 2024. (AFP)
TT
20

F1 Seeks to Spice up Monaco GP with More Mandatory Pitstops

Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc drives during the third practice session of the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix on May 25, 2024. (AFP)
Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc drives during the third practice session of the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix on May 25, 2024. (AFP)

Formula One's governing body is planning to spice up the showcase Monaco Grand Prix by forcing teams to carry out more pitstops.

The FIA said in a statement that an F1 commission meeting in London on Tuesday had discussed "proposals for Monaco-specific regulations" to promote less processional racing at the tight and twisty circuit.

"The commission agreed to increase the numbers of mandatory pitstops in the race," it added, without providing further details.

"These proposals will be further discussed by the sporting advisory committee in the coming weeks."

The current mandatory minimum is one pitstop per race.

Overtaking is extremely difficult around Monaco, with qualifying and pole position a much more crucial element than at other races.

The FIA said there would also no longer be any restriction on the number of gearboxes teams could use during a season as the reliability of current designs had rendered the regulation obsolete.