Emailed job application supposedly from Xavi was bogus, Indian soccer federation says
Xavi has been without a team since being let go by Barcelona in June 2024. Guardiola, one of the top coaches in the sport, is under contract with City through June 2027. India is looking to replace Spanish coach Manolo Márquez after he left the position by mutual consent earlier this month following just one win in eight games and less than a year in the job. The federation said Saturday that it has narrowed a group of 170 applicants to three unnamed finalists.
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Arab News
6 hours ago
- Arab News
Soccer-FIFA faces Dutch class action over player transfer regulations
Aug 4 : A Dutch soccer players' group is preparing a 'potentially billion-dollar' class action claim against FIFA and other soccer associations, seeking compensation over alleged loss of income due to restrictive transfer rules, it said on Monday. The Dutch Foundation for Justice said world soccer governing body FIFA's rules had affected approximately 100,000 players in European member states and the United Kingdom since 2002. The foundation added that consultancy firm Compass Lexecon had estimated that damages could run into billions of euros, with the foundation's board member Dolf Segaar telling Dutch news agency NOS that 'it is a billion-dollar claim.' The Dutch Football Association (KNVB) is among the associations to be named in the suit. 'This case is being brought in the Netherlands under the Dutch Act on the Settlement of Mass Damages in Collective Action (WAMCA), which allows this legal action to be launched by JfP on behalf of a large group of professional footballers,' it added. FIFA and the KNVB did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment. The foundation added that a preliminary analysis from global economic consulting company Compass Lexecon estimated that professional footballers collectively earned around 8 percent less over their careers than they would have due to FIFA's regulations. 'All professional football players have lost a significant amount of earnings due to the unlawful FIFA Regulations,' foundation chair Lucia Melcherts said in a statement. ''Justice for Players' is bringing this claim to help achieve justice for footballers and fairness.' The foundation added that the case was launched following a ruling on French player Lassana Diarra, who was fined 10 million euros ($11.56 million) by FIFA for leaving Lokomotiv Moscow one year into a four-year deal. In October 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union said some of FIFA's rules on player transfers went against European Union laws and free movement principles in the case linked to former Chelsea, Arsenal and Real Madrid player Diarra. Following the ruling by the EU's top court, FIFA in December adopted an interim framework concerning the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players. The interim regulatory framework affects the calculation of compensation payable if there is a breach of contract and the burden of proof in relation to both compensation payable and an inducement to breach a contract. Justice for Players said it will be advised by law firm Dupont-Hissel, founded by Jean-Louis Dupont. Dupont is the same lawyer who took the landmark case of Belgian Jean-Marc Bosman, which in 1995 cleared the way for players in the European Union to move to other clubs at the end of contracts without a transfer fee being paid. Dupont-Hissel also represented Diarra in his case against FIFA, with Dupont saying in 2024 that a judgment backing the player would be a milestone in modernizing football governance. He added that it would allow players' unions and club associations to regulate their employment practices.
Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
FIBA Asia Cup 2025 kicks off in Jeddah on Tuesday
JEDDAH: Jeddah is gearing up to host the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 tournament from Aug. 5-17, featuring the best teams from across Asia and Oceania. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport Sixteen teams will compete in the 31st event. Group A includes Australia, Lebanon, Qatar and South Korea. Group B includes Guam, Iran, Japan and Syria. Group C includes China, India, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Group D includes Iraq, New Zealand, the Philippines and Taiwan. The FIBA Asia Cup tournament returns to Saudi Arabia after it was held in Riyadh 1997 and will take place at King Abdullah Sports City Hall in Jeddah, which has a capacity of more than 15,000 seats. The Saudi Basketball Federation announced on Sunday the official roster of the national team that will participate in the FIBA Asia Cup Saudi Arabia 2025. The squad will include 12 players. These are: Marzouq Almuwalad, Mohammed Almarawani, Muhammad Ali, Mathna Almarawani, Muhammed Alsaqer, Fahad Bilal, Khalid Abdelqader, Mohammed Alsuwailem, Ali Shubayli, Manaf Alsalem, Thamer Mohammed and Musab Qadi. In preparation for the tournament, the Saudi national team began its preparations and camp at the end of last June in Jeddah, then moved to Istanbul to play several friendly matches against the national teams of Algeria (two matches), Kuwait, Tunisia and Iraq, where the team achieved victory against the national teams of Kuwait and Iraq. Later, the Saudi national team completed its preparations in Doha by playing in the Lusail International Friendly Championship, where they faced the national teams of Qatar, Iraq and Japan. They had a mixed Lusail Cup — a confidence-boosting win over Iraq (91-76) but also losses to Qatar and Japan.
Arab News
2 days ago
- Arab News
Pakistan bans future participation in WCL league over ‘hypocrisy,' alleged pro-India tilt
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday announced it was issuing a 'blanket ban' on future participation in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) league, accusing it of being biased in favor of India. The WCL is a T20 tournament held in England every year. It features retired and non-contracted players from cricketing giants, including England, India, Pakistan, Australia, West Indies and South Africa. It is co-owned by Bollywood superstar Ajay Devgn and Harshit Tomar. The tournament became controversial when India refused to play Pakistan in the league stage of the match, and the WCL decided both teams would share the points. India again refused to play Pakistan in the semifinal stage of the tournament, with the Green Shirts advancing on to the final on Sunday. Several Indian players announced they would not take part in matches against Pakistan after the two nations engaged in the worst fighting in decades with each other in May. The WCL had said it respected India's decision to withdraw and Pakistan's willingness to compete. 'The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announces that it is issuing a blanket ban from future participation in the World Championship of Legends (WCL),' the PCB said in a press release following its 79th meeting of the Board of Governors. The PCB said it reviewed 'with considerable disappointment' the WCL's conduct of awarding points to a willfully forfeiting team, and the content of the press releases of the WCL announcing the cancelation of the scheduled India vs. Pakistan legends matches. It said the press releases were 'tainted with hypocrisy and bias.' 'The contents of the said press releases highlight a duality where the narrative of 'peace through sport' is selectively applied and sporting events are held hostage to political expediency and narrow commercial interests,' the cricket board added. The PCB said it has always advocated for the separation of sports and politics, adding that it believes cricket, like other international sports, should solely serve as a platform for goodwill, healthy competition, and mutual respect. 'For a tournament involving legendary players to be dictated by sentiments that undermine this fundamental principle is not only regrettable but also deeply concerning for the future of independent sporting events,' it added. 'The WCL's apology for 'hurting the sentiments', whilst being farcical, inadvertently acknowledges that the cancelation was not based on cricketing merit, but rather on succumbing to a specific nationalistic narrative,' it added. 'This bias, masquerading as sensitivity, sends an unacceptable message to the international sporting community.' The PCB said it can no longer condone participation in an event where the fundamental principles of fair play and 'unbiased administration' are compromised by external pressures. 'We cannot allow our players to be part of events where the spirit of the game is overshadowed by skewed politics that undermines the very essence of sportsmanship and the gentleman's game,' it added. Pakistan were beaten by South Africa in the final of the WCL on Sunday when the Proteas trounced the South Asian giants by nine wickets to claim the tournament.
