FOOTBALL has always believed it did not have to follow the American model.

But if the ramifications of the latest European Court ruling on the game are as claimed by the man who broke the system in the 1990s, we could be entering the Wild West.

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Lassana Diarra’s beef with Fifa’s rules could lead to the end of the current transfer system[/caption]

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Football could be entering a US-styled Wild West after the latest European Court ruling[/caption]

For players, it will be like walking into the casinos in Las Vegas with a massive pile of chips but knowing they have already been dealt a winning hand on a loaded table.

Jean-Louis Dupont was the lawyer who beat Uefa over the treatment of Belgian player Jean-Marc Bosman.

That landmark judgement meant clubs could no longer demand a fee for a player who was out of contract.

But the secondary repercussions was the end of the “three plus two” rule demanding that clubs fielded a minimum quota of homegrown stars, turning European club football into a continent without borders.

And even if former Chelsea ace Lassana Diarra’s beef with Fifa’s rules was about his right to walk away from Lokomotiv Moscow when they stopped paying him in 2014, the final outcome could well be the end of the current transfer system.

The ruling of the five senior Judges in the Luxembourg-based Court said: “The rules in question impede the free movement of footballers wishing to develop their activity by going to work for a new club.

“Those rules impose considerable legal risks, potentially very high financial risks as well as major sporting risks on those players and clubs wishing to employ them.”

No wonder a crowing Dupont claimed a “total victory”, adding that the Court had “severely censured the structurally illegal actions of the current regulations”.

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More critically, he predicted: “This paves the way for a modernisation of governance, in particular through the use of collective bargaining between employees and employers.”

And that was always Dupont’s end-game as he allied himself with the international players’ union Fifpro to take on Fifa.

If clubs cannot demand transfer fees for players who are under contract, then it is all about the package they are offered.

Either their current club puts so much on the table, with US-style ten-year contracts including massive £100million-plus loyalty bonuses for seeing out the deal, that the player wants to stay.

Or they simply jump when a higher bidder knocks on the door. And whichever is the outcome, the players and their agents win. Of course, Dupont would say that. He is not averse to exaggeration.

On the other side, Fifa attempted to downplay its significance, claiming this was a very narrow ruling with no wider significance.

A spokesman said: “Fifa is satisfied that the legality of key principles of the transfer system have been re-confirmed.

“The ruling only puts in question two paragraphs of two articles of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players.”

Transfers could change

Fifa insiders are pointing fingers at Fifpro, asking what the union hopes to gain.

They do, though, concede the world body should have intervened to grant the International Transfer Certificate which would have allowed Diarra to join Belgian side Charleroi after his fall-out with Moscow and must now rewrite that aspect of its rulebook.

Likewise, the rules that meant Charleroi would have been liable to pay Diarra’s fine from Moscow will also have to go.

Yet many fear this could be a case of shutting the stable door after the entire herd has bolted.

There are also concerns that the consequences will go way beyond the initial scope of the case.

The judges did rule, specifically, that a “certain degree of stability in the squads of all professional football clubs” was a good thing during a season.

They implicitly backed the current transfer registration windows that mean players can only move in the summer and in January.

Likewise, if a club can be found, unquestionably, to have “incited” a player to walk out on a rival, then a sanction might be appropriate.

Good luck in getting hold of those WhatsApp messages.

But with the current regulations now deemed to have breached EU law, the very fabric of the transfer rulebook will be in question.

And nobody can be sure where it will end up.

PEOPLE with geeky hobbies such as building model railways or collecting figurines are much happier, a survey found.

Gentle pastimes were linked to better mental health, with an overall greater life satisfaction.

Four in ten Brits have at least one current hobby, with people dabbling in an average of five.

Model maker Hornby found 42 per cent of all hobbyists had good life satisfaction, compared to 34 per cent without a regular pastime.

Satisfaction increased to 46 per cent for those who got mates involved and 53 per cent if their partner had the same hobby.

Researchers reckon enthusiasts, like musicians Jools Holland and Rod Stewart, are 85 per cent happier than those without hobbies.

The celebrities, aged 66 and 79 respectively, have an interest in model trains.

Other pastimes in Hornby’s poll included being outdoors and playing sports.

These were the most popular, with 30 to 40 per cent of Brits spending their free time on them.

Some 22 per cent enjoy arty activities, like model making.

And more than two fifths said interests like model aeroplanes or fantasy role-playing board games had become more socially acceptable.

Hornby said in its report: “We have always been a nation of hobbyists, from Churchill and his passion for painting, Queen Victoria and her tiny wooden dolls, to Tom Daley’s knitting.

“We believe that hobbies can be a force for good.”

Research has shown that keeping the mind engaged with hobbies reduces the potential risks of cognitive decline and dementia.

Good mental health can also protect against serious physical illness like diabetes and heart diseases.

The Hornby research questioned 2,000 Brits about their pastimes.
CEO Olly Raeburn said: “The benefits of having a hobby cannot be overstated.

“Our research underscores how hobbies contribute to mental wellbeing, happiness and social connectivity.”

The woman’s husband was reported missing last year — police now allege she cut up and hid his body.

Ramp-up your salads this Spring.

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MCDONALD’S customers have been crying out after the confirmation of a restaurant demolition.

The closure marks the end of the last remaining “classic” location in one state.

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McDonald’s has demolished a longtime location and fans are crying out[/caption]

While some might think of the giant golden arches going through the building and advertisements of 15-cent burgers as “classic” McDonald’s, it’s 2024.

That means “classic” McDonald’s to many are the designs millennials will recognize from the 1980s, 90s, and early 2000s.

They featured a bright red mansard roof with yellow arches across the top and even a playground area before most were eliminated.

McDonald’s later began modernizing and moving away from the designs and committed $6 billion to the cause for around 8,700 locations in 2018, per Food Business News.

Still, one “classic” location remained in Middletown, New Jersey, for residents this year.

It was recently torn down, however, and is still awaiting a remodel, per local radio station WKXW.

A notice released to the public in spring noted improvements to the site with expanded parking and updated lighting, landscaping, signs, menu boards, and more.

Kenneth Hullings, the owner and operator of the Middletown location, said he’d been trying to get it re-done for nearly 20 years, according to the Asbury Park Press.

“We have been in discussions with the corporation, believe it or not, since 2005 to get this restaurant remodeled and make it appropriate for the town, make it better for the residents and also make it better for us,” Hullings told the outlet.

The Middletown location was first constructed in 1971.

BRING IT BACK

It remains unclear when the renovations will be completed, and some customers have mixed feelings about the change.

A saddened local argued that the McDonald’s location would go “from vibrant colors to gloom and doom colors” with renovations in a thread on Facebook.

“I miss it already, I hate driving by and seeing it gone and the construction,” another wrote.

“My heart will go on,” a third added.

While McDonald’s has redesigned and modernized most of its now 14,300 restaurants in the United States over time, one has been kept almost the same for over 50 years.

LONGTIME STAPLE

That would be the oldest remaining McDonald’s from when Richard and Maurice McDonald started what would become a worldwide franchise after the involvement of Ray Kroc.

It resides in Downey, California, about 13 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, and is a major tourist attraction, per Eater LA.

The restaurant was just the third ever opened by the McDonald brothers.

McDonald’s has caused commotion among customers nationwide for other reasons recently.

Its Happy Meal toy partnership with Crocs caused some controversy, and some were left confused by the “flaps on the new McFlurry packaging.

After promises of pricing changes, it also released a $5 meal deal earlier this summer.

THE Kansas City Chiefs have signed a new tight end to battle Travis Kelce for the starting spot.

The Chiefs have had a strong start to the 2024-25 NFL season, going unbeaten at 4-0.

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AP

They face the New Orleans Saints at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday Night Football.

But Kelce has had a mixed start to the campaign, struggling and looking miserable for the first three games.

That led to calls for Andy Reid to bench the 34-year-old from disgruntled fans and analysts.

The Chiefs decided to stick with their Hall of Fame-bound star, who finally came good in Week 4.

He managed to make 89 yards off of seven catches against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Those stats at the SoFi Stadium were better than his three previous games combine.

But Reid clearly wants more depth in the position, should Taylor Swift‘s boyfriend have another dip in form.

They already have Noah Gray at tight end, who has had an impressive start to the year.

Now, the Chiefs have now decided to sign Jody Fortson to their 53-man roster.

He has been picked up off their practice squad, the team announced on Friday.

The 28-year-old rejoined Reid’s side last week after spending the offseason with the Miami Dolphins.

Fortson had been in training camp most of the summer with Mike McDaniel‘s team.

He has not appeared in a regular season NFL game since 2022.

The tight end had previously been with the Chiefs active roster and practice squad since 2019.

He then joined the Dolphins in free agency in March of this year.

Fortson has 14 receptions for 155 yards with four touchdowns in his 19 career games.

Chiefs fans reacted to the news on Friday afternoon, and were impressed with the signing.

One said on X: “This was a good move. The former WR now TE should be used on Monday Night Football.”

Another added: “Great moves! Excited to see TE Jody Fortson on the active roster.

“Solid additions to the team!”

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