UK returns Chagos Islands sovereignty to Mauritius

World

October 4, 2024

LONDON (AFP) – Britain on Thursday said it would give up sovereignty of a remote Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius but will maintain there a strategic military base that it shares with the United States, in what US President Joe Biden described as a “historic agreement”.

The British government has been under pressure for decades to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, a former colony, but has resisted because of the military base on Diego Garcia island that plays a key role for US operations in the Indian Ocean and Gulf.

“For the first time in more than 50 years, the status of the base will be undisputed and legally secure,” the UK foreign ministry said. A joint British-Mauritian statement said the base would remain open on an “initial” 99-year lease.

Biden hailed the continuation of the base on Diego Garcia — the largest island in the chain — which was notably used during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The base is used by US long range bombers and ships.

(FILES) Demonstrators from the Chagos Islands protest at a British defiance of a United Nations deadline to end their “illegal occupation” of the Indian Ocean archipelago in Port Louis on November 22, 2019. PHOTO: AFP

“I applaud the historic agreement and conclusion of the negotiations,” Biden said, adding that the site “plays a vital role in national, regional, and global security”.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he spoke to his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth, who later said that the deal showed how a small country can “win justice against major powers”.

“Today, 56 years after our independence, our decolonisation is complete. Now our national anthem can sound out even louder across our territory,” he added.

African Union chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat also welcomed the “historic” agreement, saying in a statement on X it “marks a major victory for the cause of Decolonialization, International Law, and the rightful self-determination of the people of Mauritius”.

Turnaround

The deal comes after nearly two years of negotiations and marks a significant turnaround after decades of British dismissals of Mauritian sovereignty claims.

At the start of talks in 2023, the two sides agreed that the Diego Garcia military base would continue to operate whatever the outcome.

In 2016, the UK extended the US lease of the military base until 2036.

The joint statement said that Britain and Mauritius would work on a treaty finalising the accord that would ensure Diego Garcia’s operation “well into the next century”.

The treaty could also pave the way for the return of Chagos islanders, who were expelled by the UK in the 1970s as the military base was developed.

But with no permanent population — and with Diego Garcia possibly the only habitable island but remaining off-limits as part of the deal — resettlement looks unlikely.

Britain decided in 1965 to separate the Chagos islands from Mauritius and set up a military base there, which it leased to the United States.

In doing so, it evicted thousands of Chagos islanders who have since mounted a series of legal claims for compensation in the British courts.

The joint statement claims the agreement will “address wrongs of the past” and “support the welfare of the Chagossians”, who were forced to live in exile, including in the UK.

In Mauritius, chair of the Chagos Refugees Group Olivier Bancoult called it a “historic day” but Chagossian Voices, another group representing exiled islanders, said it was excluded from the talks.

“The views of Chagossians, the indigenous inhabitants of the islands, have been consistently and deliberately ignored and we demand full inclusion in the drafting of the treaty,” Chagossian Voices added.

In Britain, politician James Cleverly, who is bidding to become the new leader of the opposition Conservatives party, called the deal “weak, weak, weak”, even though he initiated the sovereignty talks when he was foreign secretary.

His Tory party leadership rival Robert Jenrick called it a “surrender”.

Mounting pressure

Mauritius has claimed the archipelago — renamed the British Indian Ocean Territory — since its independence in 1968 and has garnered increased international support.

In 2019 the International Court of Justice advised Britain to hand over the remote islands. During the hearings, the UK apologised for the “shameful” eviction of islanders, but ignored the ICJ ruling at the time.

The same year, the UN General Assembly also passed a resolution calling on Britain to “withdraw its colonial administration”.

Without the agreement, “the long-term, secure operation” of the military base would be under threat, including through legal challenges posed by international courts, Britain’s foreign ministry said.

“Today’s agreement secures this vital military base for the future,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy said, adding that the deal would also shut down the potential for the islands to be used as a “dangerous illegal migration route to the UK”.

In addition, the UK announced a “package of financial support” to Mauritius including an annual payment and an infrastructure partnership.

The statement claimed that the agreement resolves “all outstanding issues between the United Kingdom and Mauritius”.

It said the two countries would also cooperate on environmental and irregular migration.

Tawau food processing plants shut after rat droppings found

Southeast Asia

October 4, 2024

ANN/THE STAR – Four food processing factories in Sabah’s east coast Tawau district have been ordered to cease operations immediately after they were found to have breached health codes.

During inspections under the Food Safety Assurance Programme by Tawau Health Department personnel on Thursday, the factories were found to be not only unhygienic but had rat droppings on the premises.

They were found to be in breach of Section 32B of the Food Act 1983.

“We decided that the four factories be closed immediately for 14 days because of the poor level of cleanliness as well as over the discovery of rat droppings,” Tawau Health officer Dr Shameer Khan Sulaiman said after the inspections.

“Besides that, the factories also did not have Makanan Selamat Tanggungjawab Industri (MeSTI) certification although they have been operating for some time,” he added.

He said the team also confiscated almost three tonnes of processed food that did not meet health requirements.

“We will monitor the factories to see that they comply with the order.

“The owners can apply to the Tawau Health Office for permission to operate again.

“These owners must obtain the MeSTI certification first to be guided on the necessary health procedures,” he said.

A total of 16 premises were checked over three days, with 15 compound notices issued, he added.

The operation was aimed at ensuring food cleanliness and safety in Tawau, and to ensure full compliance with the Food Act.

“I urge all suppliers and factories to follow procedures so that the food they process will be safe for people to consume,” Dr Shameer Khan added.

Eminem is going to be a grandfather

Entertainment

October 4, 2024

(AP) Eminem killed off his alter ego Slim Shady with his latest album, but he’s making way for a new nickname: Grandpa.

The rapper announced his daughter Hailie Jade is pregnant through a touching music video that is a tribute to their relationship. Home videos dating back to 1999 and photos of the father-daughter duo, along with videos from her May wedding, are underscored by the emotional song “Temporary” in the video released Thursday.

In one clip of a recent home video, his daughter hands Eminem a jersey with the name “Grandpa” emblazoned on the back with the number 1. She also hands him ultrasound photos, and he looks shocked.

The social media influencer confirmed the news of her pregnancy hours after the video was released Thursday, with an Instagram post. “Mom & dad est. 2025,” she captioned the post.

FILE – Eminem performs during “Live From Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central,” June 6, 2024. PHOTO: AP

Representatives for Eminem, 51, did not immediately return requests for comment.
“Temporary,” from Eminem’s latest album, “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce),” is written as a comforting message to his daughter after he dies. “I’m watchin’ you right now, baby girl, I vow/I will protect you, your guardian angel,” he sings on the track, which was released in July.

The “Lose Yourself” artist has always had a soft spot for his daughter, frequently mentioning her in his songs and even writing full tributes to her like “Hailie’s Song” and “Mockingbird.”

In “Mockingbird,” a fan favorite, Eminem sings, “What Daddy always tell you? Straighten up, little soldier,” a lyric he calls back to in “Temporary.”

Jade is Eminem’s sole biological daughter, whom he had with his ex-wife Kim Scott. He also adopted two of Scott’s daughters from previous relationships.

Crude stable after Israel-Iran surge, Hong Kong stocks resume gains

Business

October 4, 2024

Barrels for storing oil — A file photo of barrels for storing oil. - FREEPIK

HONG KONG (AFP) – Oil prices stabilised Friday after soaring on fears about the Middle East crisis as investors await Israel’s response to Iran’s missile attack, while shares in Hong Kong resumed their rally on a mixed day for equity markets.

Speculation about Israel’s response to the scores of missiles fired at it on Tuesday has stoked concern that the region could erupt into a wider conflict that incorporates Iran.

Crude has risen around 10 percent since that launch owing to fears of a hit to supplies, while China’s recent drive to reignite its vast economy has the potential to cause a surge in demand.

Both main contracts rocketed around five percent Thursday when US President Joe Biden said he was “discussing” possible Israeli strikes on Iranian oil sites in retaliation for Tehran’s missile barrage on Israel.

They later settled back and were slightly higher in early Asian trade.

As Israel continues to carry out air and ground attacks in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah, Iran, which arms and funds the militant group, said it would step up its response in the event of a retaliation.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is expected to elaborate on Iran’s thinking in a sermon at the main weekly Muslim prayers in Tehran on Friday, his first in nearly five years.

Still, IG market analyst Tony Sycamore said it was unlikely Iran’s oil would be targeted owing to the fact it could rekindle inflation just as global central banks fight to bring it down.

“Instead, Israel is more likely to target critical weapons factories and military installations, similar to actions taken in April,” he wrote.

“In the aftermath, there is hope for a return to the shadow conflict that has been ongoing between Israel and Iran’s regional proxies since the 7 October Hamas attack.”

He added that if the crisis did escalate into a direct confrontation, “there’s a risk that Iranian oil (four percent of global supply) could be cut off by embargos or military actions”.

“The potential loss of Iranian supply might be offset by the return of Libyan oil and increased Saudi production, as voluntary supply cuts are set to expire on 1 December,” he said.

On equity markets, Hong Kong was back on the front foot after retreating for the first time Thursday since China last week unveiled a raft of economy-boosting measures that has seen investors flooding back to the market.

The stimulus – mainly targeting the property sector – has seen stocks in the city and mainland China enjoy a blistering run of more than 20 per cent on hopes that Beijing can finally reignite growth.

There were also gains in Tokyo at the end of a rollercoaster week dictated by a volatile yen after the election of Shigeru Ishiba as prime minister.

The yen initially surged to less than 142 per dollar on the news owing to Ishiba’s previous support for Bank of Japan interest rate hikes, but it sank later in the week to more than 147 after he said the country was not yet ready for a third increase this year.

It was around 146.50 on Friday.

Singapore, Seoul and Manila rose, though Sydney, Wellington, Taipei and Jakarta edged down.

Investors are now awaiting the release of key US jobs data later in the day, which they hope could provide an idea about the Federal Reserve’s thinking on whether or not to cut rates again this month, and if so by how much.

South Korea adoptees’ emotional searches for birth families

Features

October 4, 2024

Photos of adoptees participating at the Overseas Korean Adoptees Gathering are displayed on a large screen during the conference in Seoul, South Korea. PHOTO: AP

SEOUL (AP) – They began a pilgrimage that thousands before them have done. They boarded long flights to their motherland, South Korea, to undertake an emotional, often frustrating, sometimes devastating search for their birth families.

These adoptees are among the 200,000 sent from South Korea to Western nations as children. Many have grown up, searched for their origin story and discovered that their adoption paperwork was inaccurate or fabricated. They have only breadcrumbs to go on: grainy baby photos, names of orphanages and adoption agencies, the towns where they were said to have been abandoned. They don’t speak the language. They’re unfamiliar with the culture. Some never learn their truth.

“I want my mother to know I’m okay and that her sacrifice was not in vain,” says Kenneth Barthel, adopted in 1979 at six years old to Hawaii.

A flyer of Kenneth Barthel, who was abandoned in the area as a child and later adopted to Hawaii at six years old. PHOTO: AP

He hung flyers all over Busan, where his mother abandoned him at a restaurant. She ordered him soup, went to the bathroom and never returned. Police found him wandering the streets and took him to an orphanage. He didn’t think much about finding his birth family until he had his own son, imagined himself as a boy and yearned to understand where he came from.

He has visited South Korea four times, without any luck. He says he’ll keep coming back, and tears rolled down his cheeks.

Some who make this trip learn things about themselves they’d thought were lost forever.
In a small office at the Stars of the Sea orphanage in Incheon, South Korea, Maja Andersen sat holding Sister Christina Ahn’s hands. Her eyes grew moist as the sister translated the few details available about her early life at the orphanage.

She had loved being hugged, the orphanage documents said, and had sparkling eyes.
“Thank you so much, thank you so much,” Andersen repeated in a trembling voice. There was comfort in that – she had been hugged, she had smiled.
She’d come here searching for her family.

“I just want to tell them I had a good life and I’m doing well,” Andersen said to Sister Ahn.
Andersen had been admitted to the facility as a malnourished baby and was adopted at 7 months old to a family in Denmark, according to the documents. She says she’s grateful for the love her adoptive family gave her, but has developed an unshakable need to know where she came from. She visited this orphanage, city hall and a police station, but found no new clues about her birth family.

Maja Andersen, an adoptee visiting from Denmark to search for her birth family. PHOTO: AP

Still she remains hopeful, and plans to return to South Korea to keep trying. She posted a flyer on the wall of a police station not far from the orphanage, just above another left by an adoptee also searching for his roots.

Korean adoptees have organized, and now they help those coming along behind them. Non-profit groups conduct DNA testing. Sympathetic residents, police officers and city workers of the towns where they once lived often try to assist them. Sometimes adoption agencies are able to track down birth families.

Nearly four decades after her adoption to the US, Nicole Motta in May sat across the table from a 70-year-old man her adoption agency had identified as her birth father. She typed “thanks for meeting me today” into a translation program on her phone to show him. A social worker placed hair samples into plastic bags for DNA testing.

But the moment they hugged, Motta, adopted to the United States in 1985, didn’t need the results – she knew she’d come from this man.

Jang Dae-chang hugs his daughter, Nicole Motta, and her family at the Eastern Social Welfare Society in Seoul. PHOTO: AP

“I am a sinner for not finding you,” he said.

Motta’s adoption documents say her father was away for work for long stretches and his wife struggled to raise three children alone. He told her she was gone when he came back from one trip, and claimed his brother gave her away. He hasn’t spoken to the brother since, he said, and never knew she was adopted abroad.

Motta’s adoption file leaves it unclear whether the brother had a role in her adoption. It says she was under the care of unspecified neighbors before being sent to an orphanage that referred her to an adoption agency, which sent her abroad in 1985.

She studied his face. She wondered if she looks like her siblings or her mother, who has since died.

“I think I have your nose,” Motta said softly.

They both sobbed.

US dockworkers to head back to work after tentative deal

Business

October 4, 2024

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US dockworkers will return to work after a three-day strike at East and Gulf Coast ports after the union and port operators reached a tentative deal on pay and extended the current contract to January 15, both sides said on Thursday.

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) had launched a work stoppage early Tuesday after negotiations with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), which represents shipping companies and terminal operators, hit an impasse.

The strike – which involved 45,000 workers, according to the ILA – paralyzed 36 ports from Maine to Texas, which handle an array of goods from food to electronics.

But Thursday evening, the two sides announced in a joint statement that they had “reached a tentative agreement on wages and have agreed to extend the Master Contract until January 15, 2025 to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues.

“Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume.”

Dockworkers at the Bayport Container Terminal in Seabrook, Texas. PHOTO: AFP

The statement did not offer terms of the deal, but The Wall Street Journal, citing sources close to the matter, said USMX had proposed a 62 per cent salary increase over six years, which allowed the deal to be reached.

The strike was the first walkout by the union since 1977 after negotiations stalled over union demands for significant wage increases and protection against automation-related job loss.

US President Joe Biden – who had been under pressure to intervene in negotiations to keep ports open, but had demurred citing respect for collective bargaining rights — celebrated the suspension of the strike late Thursday.

“I want to thank the union workers, the carriers, and the port operators for acting patriotically to reopen our ports and ensure the availability of critical supplies for Hurricane Helene recovery and rebuilding,” Biden said in a statement.

“Collective bargaining works, and it is critical to building a stronger economy from the middle out and the bottom up.”

Outside the White House, Biden added: “They’ve got the next 90 days, they are going to settle everything.”

Republican former president Donald Trump, who is seeking to take back the Oval Office, had blamed Biden for the crisis, saying Tuesday in Milwaukee: “He should have worked out a deal.”

Crisis averted
Analysts had cautioned that a lengthy strike could pose a major headwind to the US economy as the presidential election grows near on November 5, leading to shortages of some items and lifting costs at a time when inflation has been moderating.

Shipping companies forced to re-route their vessels had planned to apply surcharges for each container: USD1,000 each for German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, and between USD800 and USD1500 for France’s CMA CGM, according to German logistics platform Container xChange.

Analysts at TD Cowen said Danish giant Maersk was ready to charge up to USD3,780 extra per container to cover its strike-related costs.

Oxford Economics had estimated that the strike would dent US gross domestic product by USD4.5 billion to USD7.5 billion per week, with the overall impact depending on how long the strike lasts.

But Capital Economics said fears about the economic impact of the strike were “overdone,” in part because recent shocks to the supply chain have made businesses more aware of the need to bake in precautionary measures.

The strike arrived at a politically precarious time, just one month before the election, but the tentative agreement relieves the political pressure.

National Retail Federation chief Matthew Shay called the tentative deal and the decision to end the current strike “good news for the nation’s economy”.

“It is critically important that the International Longshoremen’s Association and United States Maritime Alliance work diligently and in good faith to reach a fair, final agreement before the extension expires,” Shay said in a statement.

“The sooner they reach a deal, the better for all American families.”

Malaysia’s ferry museum to open by year-end

Lifestyle

October 4, 2024

GEORGE TOWN (ANN/THE STAR) – The Penang Ferry Floating Museum, housed in the decommissioned ferry Pulau Pinang, is set to open by the end of the year at Tanjung City Marina, bringing the iconic ferry back to life as a historical attraction.

Curator Siti Faridah Hani Damsi revealed that over 70 per cent of repair work and 90 per cent of refurbishment has been completed. The ferry, which was towed from the Bagan Dalam slipway to Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal (SPCT) on Thursday, will be anchored at the terminal before its final relocation to the museum’s permanent home at the marina.

The iconic Penang Ferry Museum being towed from Bagan Dalam Slipway to SPCT. PHOTO: ANN/THE STAR

The journey was scheduled to end at 3pm but the ferry arrived earlier than expected due to improved weather conditions, despite initial concerns over stormy skies.

Once fully restored, the Pulau Pinang ferry will be transformed into a museum, featuring exhibits, souvenir shops, a café, and designated photography spots, offering visitors a glimpse into Penang’s maritime heritage. The project is being handled by Printhero Merchandise (M) Sdn Bhd, chosen for its experience in managing retail outlets at notable sites such as Penang Hill, Muzium Negara, and Muzium Perak.

Asia-Pacific nations evacuate citizens amid Middle East tensions

World

October 4, 2024

sara-calado-zeFEjIjsHRA-unsplash-2-7gmema7gq3hqx0aogpjfj2lrhdzx6uzcax7vl3rmszk — File photo of an aerial view of Beirut, Lebanon. PHOTO: UNSPLASH

(ANN/STRAITS TIMES) – Asia-Pacific nations, including the Philippines, Indonesia, and Australia, are swiftly moving to evacuate thousands of citizens as tensions in the Middle East escalate.

Clashes between Israel and Iran, alongside Tehran-backed Hezbollah and Hamas, have intensified.

On October 2, officials confirmed efforts to secure chartered flights for citizens while Beirut’s airport remains operational. South Korea has already dispatched a military plane to assist with repatriation.

File photo of an aerial view of Beirut, Lebanon. PHOTO: UNSPLASH

The Philippine government plans to evacuate over 1,200 Filipinos from Lebanon, part of the 11,000 who have sought assistance. However, repatriation efforts have been delayed due to exit clearances and flight cancellations caused by explosions in Lebanon. Migrant Workers Undersecretary Bernard Olalia indicated the government is also exploring alternative routes through Damascus in case of a Beirut airport closure.

So far, around 430 Filipino migrant workers and 28 dependents have been evacuated. Singapore, in its updated travel advisory, urged citizens to leave Lebanon immediately via commercial flights, warning them to avoid protests and large gatherings.

Indonesia, with approximately 159 citizens in Lebanon, has already facilitated the return of 25 people. Indonesian embassies across the Middle East are coordinating evacuation efforts, while President Joko Widodo has emphasized prioritising citizens’ safety.

South Korea has followed suit, deploying a military aircraft for evacuation and calling for international cooperation to restore stability in the region. Similarly, Australia has secured flights for 580 citizens and urged the remaining 15,000 Australians in Lebanon to leave as soon as possible.

Governments worldwide are urging citizens to evacuate Lebanon while routes remain open, underscoring the gravity of the situation. As Dutch Ambassador to Lebanon Frank Mollen put it, “Go while you still can.”

Hera spacecraft to probe asteroid deflected by defence test

Technology

October 4, 2024

553688-01-02 — A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon Resilience capsule sits on Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center ahead of the Polaris Dawn Mission due to launch on August 27 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on August 26, 2024. The mission crew will carry out the first ever private spacewalk. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP)

PARIS (AFP) – Europe’s Hera probe is tentatively scheduled to launch Monday on a mission to inspect the damage a NASA spacecraft made when it smashed into an asteroid during the first test of Earth’s planetary defences.

In a scene that sounds straight out of science fiction, the spacecraft deliberately crashed into the pyramid-sized asteroid Dimorphos in 2022, roughly 11 million kilometres from Earth.

The fridge-sized impactor used in the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) successfully knocked the asteroid well off its course.

This demonstrated that the idea worked – humanity may no longer be powerless against potentially planet-killing asteroids that could approach in the future.

But much about the impact remains unknown, including how much damage was done and exactly what the asteroid was like before it was hit.

So the European Space Agency said it was sending Hera to the asteroid to conduct a “crime scene investigation” in the hopes of learning how Earth can best fend off asteroids that pose a threat.

The spacecraft is scheduled to blast off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in the US state of Florida on Monday.

‘Anomaly’ could delay launch
However an “anomaly” involving a Falcon 9 rocket during the launch of SpaceX’s Crew-9 astronaut mission on Saturday could potentially delay the launch date, the ESA’s Hera project manager Ian Carnelli said at a press conference.

The ESA is hoping to receive approval by Sunday from the US Federal Aviation Administration, NASA and SpaceX, Carnelli said.

The launch window for the mission will remain open until October 27.

Once launched, Hera is planned to fly past Mars next year and then arrive near Dimorphos in December 2026 to begin its six-month investigation.

An asteroid wider than a kilometre – which could trigger a global catastrophe on a scale that wiped out the dinosaurs – is estimated to strike Earth every 500,000 years or so.

An asteroid around 140 metres wide – which is a little smaller than Dimorphos but could still take out a major city – hits our home planet around every 20,000 years.

Most of these celestial objects come from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Almost all those bigger than a kilometre wide are known to scientists, and none are expected to threaten Earth in the next century.

There are also no known 140-metre asteroids on a collision course with Earth – but only 40 percent of those space rocks are believed to have been identified.

Although asteroids are one of the least likely natural disasters to strike the planet, people now have the “advantage of being able to protect ourselves against them”, the Hera mission’s principal investigator Patrick Michel said.

Loose rubble ‘defies intuition
Dimorphos, which is actually a moonlet orbiting its big brother Didymos, never posed a threat to Earth.

After DART’s impact, Dimorphos shed material to the point where its orbit around Didymos was shortened by 33 minutes – proof that it was successfully deflected.

Analysis of the DART mission has suggested that rather than being a single hard rock, Dimorphos was more a loose pile of rubble held together by gravity.

“The consequence of this is that, instead of making a crater” on Dimorphos, DART may have “completely deformed” the asteroid, Michel said.

But there are other possibilities, he said, adding that the behaviour of these low-gravity objects is little understood and “defies intuition”.

The 363-million-euro (USD400 million) mission will be equipped with 12 scientific instruments and two nanosatellites.

The Juventas nanosatellite will aim to land on Dimorphos, which would be a first on such a small asteroid. It will use radar to probe deep inside the asteroid and a gravimeter to measure its gravity.

From farther away, the Milani nanosatellite will use cameras and other instruments to study the asteroid’s composition and assess DART’s impact.

Once its job is done, the team on the ground hopes that Hera can land gently on Dimorphos or Didymos, where it will spend the rest of its days.

EU court set for key Diarra ruling which could shake up transfer market

Sports

October 4, 2024

PARIS (AFP) – An EU court will on Friday deliver its verdict in the case of former French footballer Lassana Diarra against FIFA, a potentially landmark decision which could shake up the football transfer system.

The court of justice of the European Union (CJEU) will decide whether a player can unilaterally terminate his contract, sparked by a dispute between Diarra and his former club Lokomotiv Moscow a decade ago.

“In a way, the Lassana Diarra affair is the Bosman 2.0 affair,” said Diarra’s Belgian lawyer Jean-Louis Dupont, who was also involved in the 1995 case of footballer Jean-Marc Bosman.

The Bosman ruling allowed players to move to another club at the end of their contract without a transfer fee being paid and also ended quotas on foreign players at clubs.

“If this judgement reflects the conclusions of the advocate general of the CJEU, the current FIFA transfer system will have come to an end,” said Dupont, arguing that the rules which prevented Diarra from finding a new club “violate the free movement of workers”.

Dupont pointed to the conclusions rendered on April 30 by the court’s top legal advisor, Maciej Szpunar, according to whom FIFA rules “limiting the ability of clubs to recruit” would be contrary to the principle of free competition within the EU.

Other legal experts familiar with the case are more measured and do not foresee a “Lassana Diarra judgement” of the magnitude of the Bosman ruling which revolutionised the transfer market in Europe.

The Diarra saga goes back 10 years.

In August 2014, Lokomotiv terminated the midfielder’s contract citing contractual breaches by the player. The Russian club also sought 20 million euros (USD22m) compensation from Diarra.

Diarra, now 39, refused and requested that Lokomotiv pay him compensation.

He was eventually ordered to pay his former club 10 million euros by FIFA, a fine that was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Diarra also received a backdated 15-month suspension.

Legally trapped
According to FIFA regulations, if a player terminates his contract unilaterally and “without just cause”, he must pay compensation which includes his remuneration and benefits until the end of his contract.

And a purchasing club could be affected by compensation.

For his part, Diarra requested six million euros from world football governing body FIFA, on the grounds that its transfer rules had prevented him from playing during most of the 2014-2015 season.

As a result of the dispute clubs were not rushing to recruit Diarra. Belgian side Charleroi rescinded their contract offer, afraid of the possible legal and financial consequences.

The former France international, who went on to join Marseille in 2015, decided to take the matter to court, supported by the global players’ union, FIFPro.

After several twists and turns, the Belgian court, whose jurisdiction FIFA contested, asked a so-called “preliminary” question to the CJEU in 2022.

In essence the question was – are the regulations on the status and transfer of players compatible with EU competition law and free movement?

According to advocate general Szpunar, the provisions applied by FIFA “are likely to discourage and dissuade clubs from hiring the player for fear of a financial risk”.

“Limiting the ability of clubs to recruit players necessarily affects competition between clubs on the market for the acquisition of professional players,” the Polish lawyer argued.

If the CJEU were to follow this line of argument, players could leave their club without fear of being legally trapped afterwards.

Capped 34 times by France, Diarra also played for Chelsea, Arsenal, Portsmouth and Real Madrid before ending his career at Paris Saint-Germain in 2019.

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