Arsenal’s Saka out for ‘many weeks’ with injury​​

ZURICH — The world soccer players’ union disagreed with FIFA’s temporary changes to transfer rules on Monday following the landmark Lassana Diarra judgement.

Former France international Diarra challenged FIFA ‘s rules due to a dispute with a club dating to 2014, and the European Court of Justice ruled in October that some rules were contrary to European Union law because they restricted freedom of movement and were anti-competitive.

FIFA then opened a “global dialogue” and on Monday published interim amendments which take effect in time for the January transfer window. They “strike a balanced compromise,” FIFA said in a statement.

But global players’ union FIFPRO was against the changes, and accused FIFA of failing to reach consensus.

“Following Lassana Diarra’s successful challenge against the legality of Article 17 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, FIFPRO informed FIFA of the conditions under which it could negotiate the amendments to the regulations to reflect the ruling,” a union statement said.

“Until now, we have been unable to reach a consensus. We do not agree with the temporary measures announced by FIFA which have been introduced without a proper collective bargaining process.

“The measures do not provide legal certainty to professional footballers and do not reflect the judgement by the European Court of Justice.”

FIFA said there was “a clear understanding” between all parties that the interim measures have no impact on ongoing discussions over long-term amendments to the rules, and introduced interim changes to offer stability and certainty for the upcoming transfer window.

“FIFA looks forward to continuing its close cooperation with key stakeholders as part of the global dialogue launched in October with the objective of developing a robust, transparent, non-discriminatory, objective and proportionate regulatory framework that will apply uniformly to professional football at a global level,” it said in a statement.

FIFA legal director Emilio Garcia Silvero posted on X on Monday saying the next goal was to have “a permanent framework that fully aligns with the ECJ’s views & has the support of all parties before July 2025.”

Diarra took his case to the ECJ after he sued FIFA for damages in the Belgian courts. Diarra cited FIFA rules for the collapse of a move to Belgian club Charleroi after the termination of his contract with Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow in 2014.

Arsenal suffered a major injury blow on Monday after Mikel Arteta confirmed winger Bukayo Saka will be sidelined for “many weeks” with a torn hamstring.

Sources have told ESPN that the 23-year-old was told the news after seeing a specialist, having left the stadium on crutches following the Gunners’ 5-1 win at Crystal Palace last weekend.

“It’s not looking good,” Areta said. “He’s going to be out for many weeks. I cannot be too specific because I don’t know, but it will be many weeks.

“It’s a huge [blow]. He’s obviously a big player for us, you just have to see the impact that he has on the team. It’s going to be a really good exercise for us to think of ways to overcome another challenge because we’ve had a lot over the season.

“I am putting some ideas together. I haven’t got there yet. But I have a few. Then I want to speak with the players as well to understand how we are going to generate that and take it in a positive way. Because that is going to mean we are going to be different.

“He was gutted. You can tell that he has not been injured because he was really, really emotional and really down. And we need to lift him up. It is a big part of his job. And he will be fine but he is going to need a few days. He will immediately realise that he is so important in that dressing room.

“His energy level, his body language, and how he communicates with the rest of the team has to be really good because it is the only way at the moment he can help, so he better do that well.”

Although Arteta was keen to play up the internal alternatives, news that Raheem Sterling is also set for a spell on the sidelines following a knee injury is a further blow given the Chelsea loanee would have been an obvious replacement.

“He’s going be out for weeks I believe,” Arteta said. “He needs further testing tomorrow to understand the extent of his injury. It’s his knee. We have to wait and see another 24 hours. Unfortunately he’s going to be out for a while.”

It is the third hamstring injury Saka has suffered this season.

The England international is a pivotal player for Arteta, starting 16 of their 17 Premier League matches — only missing October’s 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth through injury.

He has amassed nine goals and 13 assists in 24 games across all competitions and when asked whether Arsenal are ready to go into the January transfer market to replace Saka if needed, Arteta replied: “The preparation is done and we are ready if something happens. Obviously we didn’t predict a situation with Bukayo and Raheem out at the same time.

“We predicted more it would be something else, for example if something happened in the defensive line. But the job is done and, okay, if something has to happen, we will be open. But the main focus is now, how will we extract still a lot of potential that there is in this squad.”

Arsenal host Ipswich at the Emirates Stadium on Friday.

LAFC signed striker Jeremy Ebobisse to a three-year contract with an option for 2028.

The 27-year-old free agent has tallied 60 goals and 18 assists in 198 MLS matches over eight seasons with the Portland Timbers (2017-21) and San Jose Earthquakes (2021-24).

“Jeremy is a proven forward in our league who has scored goals and been a meaningful contributor to his teams throughout his career,” LAFC co-president and general manager John Thorrington said.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Jeremy to strengthen our attack as we continue in our ambitions to compete for multiple trophies in 2025. We know Jeremy will be a great addition to LAFC on and off the field.”

Ebobisse scored double-digit goals in three seasons: 17 in 2022, 11 in 2019 and 10 in 2023. He helped Portland win the MLS is Back Tournament in 2020.

An Amsterdam District Court Tuesday sentenced five men to up to six months in prison on Tuesday for violence that erupted around a UEFA Europa League match between the Dutch side Ajax and Israel’s Maccabi Tel-Aviv in November.

The riots, which caused an international outcry, left five people in hospital and 20 others with minor injuries.

More than 60 people were detained.

The court on Tuesday sentenced one man to 6 months in prison, another to two-and-a-half months and two to one month in jail.

A fifth defendant received 100 hours of community service.

A series of violent incidents took place between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli football fans around the match.

Some of the violence was condemned as antisemitic, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offering to evacuate Maccabi supporters. The violence, which garnered headlines worldwide, damaged Amsterdam’s reputation as a beacon of tolerance and a haven for persecuted religions, including Jews.

“It seems that the violence arose from strong pro-Palestine sentiments and dissatisfaction with the situation in Gaza, and related anger against the Israelis present,” the prosecutors’ office said in a statement at the conclusion of hearings two weeks ago.

The five defendants, who are all Dutch residents and aged between 19 and 32, were accused of public violence, theft and assault.

The Nov. 8 game was allowed to go ahead after the Netherlands’ counterterror watchdog found there was no “concrete threat” to Israeli fans, and the match wasn’t considered a high risk.

Even so, Amsterdam authorities banned a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside the Johan Cruyff Arena.

According to an investigation, the day before the game the authorities reported several incidents, including Israeli fans tearing a Palestinian flag from an Amsterdam building and attacking a taxi.

Six more suspects will have their trials at a later date, including three minors. Under Dutch rules, proceedings for juveniles are held behind closed doors. Police are continuing to investigate the violence and have released images of several suspects they want to identify.