Mbappe brace edges PSG closer to Ligue 1 title

Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe (L) shoots and scores his team's second goal against Angers' French goalkeeper Paul Bernardoni during their French L1 football match at The Raymond-Kopa Stadium in Angers, western France on Friday. (AFP)
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Updated 22 April 2023
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Mbappe brace edges PSG closer to Ligue 1 title

  • Mbappe scored the opener in the ninth minute and added another before the half-hour mark
  • PSG are now 11 points clear at the top of the table with six games left

PARIS: Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain took another step toward securing the Ligue 1 title despite an unconvincing performance in beating bottom club Angers 2-1 on Friday.

Mbappe scored the opener in the ninth minute and added another before the half-hour mark to move clear as the French top flight’s leading marksman on 22 goals for the campaign.

It looked like PSG might go on to record a big victory but they eased off in the second half and relegation-bound Angers pulled a goal back late on through Sada Thioub.

PSG are now 11 points clear at the top of the table with six games left, although nearest challengers Marseille can cut the gap when they visit Lyon on Sunday.

A record 11th French crown, and ninth since the Qatari takeover of 2011, is now inevitable with the capital club claiming a third straight win to ease the pressure on embattled coach Christophe Galtier.

However, Galtier was critical of his side’s performance after they failed to build on a strong start, just like in last week’s 3-1 win over Lens when all their goals came before half-time.

“As much as we were serious and clinical in the first half, like Lens last week we took our foot off the pedal completely in the second half,” Galtier told broadcaster Amazon Prime.

“We played without any rhythm and didn’t really try to add to our lead. There is frustration for me as a coach. Of course we won and are top of the league but when you are at Paris Saint-Germain you can’t settle for only playing for half of the game.”

Appointed last year, Galtier’s position was under serious scrutiny following a poor start to 2023 as PSG went out of the Champions League and French Cup in the last 16.

He has since come under further pressure after being accused of making racist and discriminatory remarks about players last season when in charge of Nice.

Prosecutors in Nice have opened a preliminary investigation into possible “racial or religious discrimination” following the allegations, which surfaced in an email apparently sent by former Nice sporting director Julien Fournier and which were reported by various French media.

Galtier, who rigorously denies the allegations, has been the target of threats and on Friday his lawyer confirmed the 56-year-old was taking legal action against Fournier and two journalists for defamation.

“I am not interested in my situation. I am focused on the team, the importance of winning games and winning the club’s 11th title, so I am managing to see past everything that is happening outside,” Galtier said.

His team never really looked in trouble after Mbappe opened the scoring early on, bundling the ball over the line at the second attempt after Juan Bernat cushioned a pass across the face of goal.

Lionel Messi had been at the origin of the opener and he then set up the second with a superb ball in behind the Angers defense for Mbappe to round goalkeeper Paul Bernardoni and score.

He now has 34 goals in all competitions this season and the 157th Ligue 1 strike of his career means he has now bypassed the great Jean-Pierre Papin’s career tally.

Thioub reduced the deficit with three minutes left when he beat Gianluigi Donnarumma from close range after a cross was nodded down into his path.

Angers are now 17 points from safety with six games left and could be relegated this weekend depending on other results.

They have managed just three wins all season and need three more points to avoid setting a new record for the fewest points in a French top-flight campaign.


FA investigates Premier League referee Coote over video rant

Updated 12 November 2024
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FA investigates Premier League referee Coote over video rant

  • Referees body Professional Game Match Officials Ltd. announced on Monday that Coote, 42, had been suspended pending a full investigation
  • The Football Association is also looking at Coote’s comments

LONDON: The Football Association is investigating after a video was posted on social media appearing to show Premier League referee David Coote making derogatory comments about Liverpool and their former manager Jurgen Klopp.
Referees body Professional Game Match Officials Ltd. announced on Monday that Coote, 42, had been suspended pending a full investigation.
The Football Association is also looking at Coote’s comments. It is understood part of its investigation will center on whether Coote’s reference to Klopp’s nationality constitutes an aggravated breach of its misconduct rules.
“We are aware of the matter, and we are investigating it,” an FA spokesman said on Tuesday.
According to the clip, Coote, who refereed Liverpool’s 2-0 win against Aston Villa on Saturday, said Klopp was “arrogant” and used offensive language.
Retired referee Mike Dean, now a TV pundit, believes the incident will have a damaging effect on officials throughout English football.
In an interview with Sky Sports, the 56-year-old said: “As referees you can’t put yourself in that position no matter what you do.
“You can say things away from camera, you can talk among your friends and things and colleagues, but you can’t let somebody video this and then hope that it’s never going to come out.”
The video appears to refer to a match that Coote officiated between Liverpool and Burnley in July 2020, which finished 1-1. Liverpool had already been crowned champions.
Klopp criticized Coote after the match, saying the referee had been too lenient in his treatment of Burnley challenges.
Klopp left Liverpool at the end of last season after nearly nine years in charge at Anfield.
The German was also critical of Coote over an incident in a match against Arsenal last season in which Gunners midfielder Martin Odegaard’s hand made contact with the ball.
Coote, as VAR, did not advise on-field official Chris Kavanagh to review the incident.
Coote was also the VAR in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park in October 2020 when Toffees goalkeeper Jordan Pickford inflicted a season-ending injury on Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk.
Pickford was not sent off for the challenge and did not face retrospective action because, under FA rules, that can only happen if an incident was not seen either at the time or when it was reviewed by VAR.


Low turnout for France-Israel match would be understandable, says Upamecano

Updated 12 November 2024
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Low turnout for France-Israel match would be understandable, says Upamecano

  • Israeli soccer fans were attacked in Amsterdam last week by groups shouting anti-Israeli slurs
  • “I can understand why people don’t want to come. It’s their choice. We’ll keep going, we’ll fight on the pitch,” 26-year-old center-back Upamecano told reporters

PARIS: A low turnout for France’s high-security Nations League soccer match against Israel at the Stade de France on Thursday would be understandable, defender Dayot Upamecano said on Tuesday.
French media expect only 20,000 fans in the 80,000 capacity stadium north of Paris, where President Emmanuel Macron will attend under tight security, with 2,500 police around the stadium, 1,500 across the city and 1,600 stadium staff deployed.
Israeli soccer fans were attacked in Amsterdam last week by groups shouting anti-Israeli slurs, with at least five people injured after Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Europa League game at Ajax.
Some Maccabi supporters were also seen chanting anti-Arab slogans before Thursday’s match.
On Sunday, Israel urged its citizens to avoid attending cultural and sports events abroad involving Israelis over the coming week.
French supporters’ group Les Irreductibles Français conducted a survey among its members, which showed 15 percent would boycott the France-Israel match due to the Israel-Gaza war.
Some 30 percent cited “security risks,” with 34 percent listing practical reasons such as being unavailable or out of holiday time.
“I can understand why people don’t want to come. It’s their choice. We’ll keep going, we’ll fight on the pitch,” 26-year-old center-back Upamecano told reporters on Tuesday.
Dutch police said they took away more than 300 pro-Palestinian protesters who ignored a ban on demonstrations in Amsterdam on Sunday and detained 50 more following clashes involving Israeli soccer fans last week.
“We will stay focused on the upcoming match. Sorry I didn’t see what happened in Amsterdam,” Upamecano added.
Asked If the France-Israel match should have been moved he added: “Somewhere else? I don’t know at all. I’m just here to play. I’ve loved playing football since I was little.
“Yesterday was November 11 (Armistice Day). I love peace, I hope that one day we’ll find it again, in every country.”
France are second in Nations league Group A2 on nine points from four games, a point behind Italy and five ahead of Belgium. Israel are bottom of the four-team standings without a point.
The Europa League match between Turkish side Besiktas and Maccabi Tel-Aviv on Nov. 28 will be played at a neutral venue in Hungary, European soccer’s governing body UEFA said on Monday.


Former France striker Wissam Ben Yedder gets 2-year suspended jail sentence in sexual assault case

Updated 12 November 2024
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Former France striker Wissam Ben Yedder gets 2-year suspended jail sentence in sexual assault case

  • The prosecutor requested a jail sentence of two years, six months, including 18 months suspended
  • The plaintiff’s lawyer, Frank Michel, said during the trial that the victim was in a state of shock and asked for 25,000 euros in damages

PARIS: French soccer star Wissam Ben Yedder received a suspended sentence of two years in prison on Tuesday after his trial last month in France for sexually assaulting a woman, one of his lawyers told The Associated Press.
The prosecutor requested a jail sentence of two years, six months, including 18 months suspended.
Lawyer Marie Roumiantseva said Ben Yedder, who was accused of sexual assault while intoxicated, was ordered to pay compensation of 5,000 euros ($5,300) to the victim. The court in the southern city of Nice also imposed on Ben Yedder a duty to follow treatment.
The plaintiff’s lawyer, Frank Michel, said during the trial that the victim was in a state of shock and asked for 25,000 euros in damages.
Ben Yedder was charged after a woman filed a lawsuit against him in September. He can appeal the ruling.
The 34-year-old player, a prolific striker who has also played for the national team, was briefly detained then released after the incident in his car on the French Riviera. He was arrested at his home later that night after he first refused to stop his car.
The court also ordered the suspension of Ben Yedder’s driving license for six months.
After his arrest, Ben Yedder — who has since started alcohol detox and therapy — admitted he drove while under the influence. He said during the trial he was so drunk he has no recollection of any kind of sexual assault.
Ben Yedder has been without a club since his contract with Monaco expired at the end of last season.
He scored 16 goals with three assists in the French league last season to help Monaco finish second behind Paris Saint-Germain. In five seasons with Monaco, he scored 118 times in 201 appearances in all competitions to become the club’s second-highest scorer behind retired Argentine striker Delio Onnis (223).
Ben Yedder has 19 caps for France, the last of which came in June 2022.
In a separate legal case last year, Ben Yedder was charged with rape, attempted rape and sexual assault over another alleged incident in the south of France.


Carsley loses eight and calls up five for last England squad

Updated 12 November 2024
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Carsley loses eight and calls up five for last England squad

LONDON: England interim manager Lee Carsley gave a first senior call-up to Aston Villa forward Morgan Rogers as one of five additions to his last squad on Monday after eight players pulled out.
The team faces Greece in Athens on Thursday before hosting Ireland three days later. Both games are in the Nations League.
Seven of the players to drop out came from the top four clubs in the Premier League: Levi Colwill and Cole Palmer of Chelsea; Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka; Manchester City midfielders Phil Foden and Jack Grealish and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold. The eighth withdrawal was Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
Rogers was promoted from the Under-21 squad alongside Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford, Newcastle’s Tino Livramento and Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite. Of the quartet only center-back Branthwaite has a senior England cap.
West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen, who has 12 senior caps, was also added to the squad.
Carsley will return to his role as Under-21 manager after Nations League games, with Thomas Tuchel starting as the new boss in January.
Defeat in Athens would end England’s chances of automatic promotion from the second tier of the Nations League.
Tuchel has signed an 18-month deal that begins on January 1, so will only be an interested observer during this month’s games.
England squad
Goalkeepers
: Dean Henderson, Jordan Pickford, James Trafford
Defenders: Marc Guehi, Lewis Hall, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Ezri Konsa, Rico Lewis, Kyle Walker, Jarrad Branthwaite, Tino Livramento
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Morgan Gibbs-White, Angel Gomes, Curtis Jones, Morgan Rogers
Forwards: Anthony Gordon, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Noni Madueke, Dominic Solanke, Ollie Watkins, Jarrod Bowen


Turkiye football club chief jailed over attack on ref

Updated 11 November 2024
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Turkiye football club chief jailed over attack on ref

  • Incident occurred in December 2023 following a 1-1 draw between Ankara’s MKA Ankaragucu and visiting Caykur Rizespor in Turkiye’s top flight

ANKARA: A former football chief in Turkiye’s Super Lig was sentenced to more than three years in prison Monday over an on-pitch attack on a referee, the Anadolu news agency reported.
The incident occurred in December 2023 following a 1-1 draw between Ankara’s MKA Ankaragucu and visiting Caykur Rizespor in Turkiye’s top flight.
Footage from the scene showed Ankaragucu’s then president Faruk Koca rushing onto the pitch and punching referee Halil Umut Meler after he blew the final whistle, shouting: “I’m going to kill you!“
He appeared to be incensed over the ref’s decision to send off one of his players, and disallowing an earlier goal by Ankaragucu. Caykur had scored an equalizer in injury time.
Denouncing the attack as “despicable,” the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) suspended Super Lig matches for eight days and initiated criminal proceedings against Koca and several others.
Several days later, Koca apologized and resigned as club president but insisted his team had been cheated by the referee.
The court on Monday handed him three years and seven months for “intentional injury to a public sports official” as well as six months and 20 days for “making threats.”
It also handed him a five-month suspended sentence for “violating the law on violence prevention in sports.”
During the incident, the referee — who fell to the ground after being punched — was also kicked several times by other club officials, leaving him with a head trauma.
The court also handed prison sentences to three other officials for causing, or trying to cause, “intentional injury” to a public sports official, with sentences ranging from one to five years behind bars.
The incident provoked uproar in Turkiye and a flurry of condemnation, including from FIFA, football’s world governing body.