France Ligue 1

TWO clubs whose stadiums are virtually touching will renew their rivalry next season.It comes after the minnows earned promotion into the top flight – following Jurgen Klopp’s scathing comments.Paris FC will be neighbours with PSG next seasonCredit: AFPThe newly-promoted side move into their new home for the 2025-26 campaignCredit: AFPParis FC confirmed their spot in Ligue 1 next season with a 1-1 draw away at Martigues on Friday.That put them four points clear of Metz who are third and must settle for a promotion play-off spot. And it means Paris FC will be right next door to their enemies, the giants of French football. That is because Paris FC are moving into a new stadium next season which is literally a few yards from Paris Saint-Germain’s Parc des Princes. READ MORE ON FOOTBALLThe two teams’ feud dates back to 1972 when Paris FC split away from Paris Saint-Germain – who themselves were only formed two years earlier when Stade Saint-Germain and Paris FC merged. Paris FC are part of the Red Bull group, with the energy drink company buying a ten per cent stake last year. And the arrival of ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp as head of global soccer for Red Bull prompted the stadium move.Klopp felt the atmosphere at the Stade Sebastien Charlety was not good enough – and spearheaded a move to the Stade Jean-Bouin, home of Stade Francais rugby team. Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSBut the 19,000-seater ground – smaller than their current home – is directly next to PSG’s own home. The two venues are separated by Rue Claude Farrere.Wayne Rooney and Thierry Henry give their verdict on Arsenal’s defeat to PSGBut PSG will be hoping that is as close as their rivals can get to them next term.Luis Enrique’s Ligue 1 champions will go for a fifth title in a row in 2024-25.And they will be hoping to not only boast the local and national bragging rights – but be kings of Europe, too.PSG go into Wednesday’s second leg of their Champions League semi-final with Arsenal leading 1-0. The winners face Barcelona or Inter in Munich’s final. PSG hope to be crowned European champions later this monthCredit: GettyParis FC split from Paris Saint-Germain in 1972Credit: AFP More

THE fierce derby between Saint-Etienne and Lyon was suspended shortly before half-time after a linesman was struck by an object from the crowd.Saint-Etienne had led 1-0 courtesy of Lucas Stassin’s goal when the unsavoury incident occurred.Reports in France suggested that a ‘coin’ had struck the officialThe referee was struck by an object from the crowdReports in France suggested that the match official, named Mehdi Rahmouni, was struck by a “coin” thrown from the crowd at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.Following the incident in the 44th minute, officials decided to take the players off the pitch.Crisis meetings followed between match officials, Ligue 1 delegates, police and representatives from both clubs.It was decided that the match WOULD recommence following a 45-minute delay.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLA Ligue 1 official subsequently confirmed the decision – revealing that Rahmouni had taken a painkiller and would be able to continue.They also pointed out that, should any more projectiles be thrown from the crowd, the game would be abandoned.As Lyon players re-emerged from the tunnel, they were met by a chorus of boos from the home crowd.Saint-Etienne is located around 35 miles from Lyon and the two clubs have shared a bitter local rivalry for many years.Most read in FootballBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UKThe officials decided what to do following the controversial incidentCredit: AFPThe match was played in front of a lively atmosphereCredit: AFPMehdi Rahmouni worked on Euro 2024Credit: AFPLes Vertes were not in Ligue 1 last season, having dropped into the second tier.Ahead of the match, home fans mocked their Lyon counterparts by showing off Manchester United shirts, following the Red Devils’ dramatic comeback win over the French side in the Europa League last Thursday.Ligue 1 match SUSPENDED twice and players rushed down tunnel as plume of smoke engulfs stadium after flares thrownTonight’s game took on great importance, with Lyon knowing that they could climb into the top four with a win.Struggling Saint-Etienne, meanwhile, went into the clash aiming to go level on points with 16th-placed Le Havre as they bid to avoid the drop.Lyon boss Paulo Fonseca watched the match from the stands.The 52-year-old is six weeks into a nine-month touchline ban for angrily confronting referee Benoit Millot during his side’s 2-1 win over Brest on March 2.Following the resumption of the match, Stassin grabbed his second to double Saint-Etienne’s advantage on 67 minutes.Lyon’s US international midfielder Tanner Tessman pulled on back 14 minutes from time, but Les Vertes held firm to secure a vital 2-1 win.Saint-Etienne’s match at Montpellier last month was abandoned due to crowd trouble.Members of the home crowd in the Etang de Thau stand set their stadium on fire by throwing flares after their side went 2-0 down to ten-man Saint-Etienne early in the second half.Read More on The SunPlayers were subsequently sent back to the dressing rooms, before fans were told to evacuate the stadium around half an hour later.A meeting between Ligue 1 officials subsequently decided to award Saint-Etienne a 3-0 victory.Lyon players look on as they wait for smoke from flares set off in the stands to clearCredit: AFPAimen Moueffek battles with Lyon forward Alexandre LacazetteCredit: AFP More

ROBERTO DE ZERBI has faced a player mutiny at Marseille, according to reports.The Italian, 45, took charge of the Ligue 1 giants after leaving Brighton last summer.Roberto De Zerbi’s Marseille have endured an awful run of formCredit: SplashMarseille have lost four of their last five gamesCredit: GettyMarseille have experienced a turbulent first season under De Zerbi, going through brilliant highs and extreme lows.And in recent weeks, they have gone way off the boil.Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at relegation-battling Reims made it four losses in five for Marseille.Reports in France claim that Marseille players were subsequently made to stay the night at the club’s training ground, such was their manager’s disgust.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLIt then emerged that rest days scheduled for Sunday and Monday had also been cancelled.And things reached a boiling point on Monday, when De Zerbi reportedly told the players that he would not be taking training.According to L’Equipe, players were left feeling let down by their coach and refused to train if he was not leading the sessions.This led director of football and former centre-back Medhi Benatia to step in.Most read in FootballBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UKThe 37-year-old is claimed to have told the squad to “justify the club’s financial investment in them”.Players are said to have not bought Benatia’s reasoning – pointing to his former clubs Bayern Munich and Juventus and asking whether De Zerbi’s antics would be put up with by those European giants.’People like you will be happy’ – Postecoglou snaps at Sky Sports reporter in ‘generational meltdown’ after Chelsea lossThe Marseille boss is also said to have made a brutal jibe at defender Pol Lirola after last Saturday’s match.Lirola, 27, has been at Marseille since 2021 but prior to this season had spent the last two years out on loan.Following the defeat at Reims, during which Lirola was hooked at half-time, De Zerbi is claimed to have said to him: “Nobody wanted you at this club last summer, I was the only one to believe in you, and you thank me by defending like that?”Having entered the season with lofty ambitions Marseille have fallen to third in the Ligue 1 table, a staggering 22 points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain.They are now just four points above seventh and could face missing out on European football, should their recent slump continue.Marseille will host mid-table Toulouse this Sunday, desperate for three points to get back on track.Speaking in his pre-match press conference, De Zerbi said: “I am very happy to be manager of Marseille, because I love controversy.”Read More on The SunForward Neal Maupay added: “It was never a question of not training. We cleared the air.”Sometimes it’s good to take a slap in the face and wake up.”Marseille have a huge game against Toulouse on SundayCredit: Rex More

A FOOTBALL team has plumbed new depths – after a SINKHOLE appeared in their pitch during a game.A player even fell in before French side US Vicquoise’s star striker filled it with a load of sand to enable the match to continue.A player went though a sinkhole during an amateur match in FranceCredit: Facebook / A.S IngrandesThe sinkhole brought the match to a haltCredit: Facebook / A.S IngrandesAnother player had to fill it with sand so the game could continueCredit: Facebook / A.S IngrandesBut visiting team Ingrandes went on to win 3-2 despite one of their players partially disappearing.Sunday’s lower-league clash in Vienne, central France, came to a halt as the 4ft deep crater opened up.But Vicquoise striker Sebastien Collet, a builder by trade, drove a digger-load of sand on to the pitch for his team-mates to repair the damage.An Ingrandes spokesman said: “Our team had an unusual experience on Sunday. Our striker fell in the penalty area with no one near him.Read More on Football”We all laughed, but he said there was a hole in the pitch.  We went on to the field and found it.”Thankfully at Vicq there are no problems, just solutions. Their number 10 is a saviour as well as a goalscorer and women’s team coach.”He went home to get a bucketload of sand to fill the hole – and the game restarted 10 minutes later as if nothing had happened.”We thank US Vicquoise for this great moment of fun, and for showing the sort of spirit we’d love to see every weekend.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS”Long live amateur football, and life in the country.”Vicquoise director Charly Collet said: “It created some atmosphere during the game, and made everyone laugh.Premier League club move into incredible new home that resembles futurist James Bond villain lair”This has never happened to us before during a match.”But an old guy who was marking out the lines on the pitch has previously fallen into the hole.” More

NICE’S manager hit back at Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s brutal criticism by claiming the club’s owner he has “not watched a match all season”.Ratcliffe bought Nice in 2019 before purchasing a minority stake in Manchester United midway through last season. Sir Jim Ratcliffe angered the Nice manager with his commentsCredit: GettyFranck Haise hit back and insisted the owner has not watched the team all seasonCredit: Willie VassThe British billionaire has certainly upset many at Old Trafford including fans and staff with his various extreme cost-cutting measures. But frustrations towards Ratcliffe are not limited to United.That is because the Ineos chief sparked fury at Nice by revealing he does not like watching them play.Ratcliffe controversially stated: “I don’t particularly enjoy going to watch Nice because there are some good players.READ MORE ON FOOTBALL”But the level of football is not high enough for me to get excited.”However, the comments prompted a reaction from the man he appointed as manager in the summer.Franck Haise insisted Ratcliffe does not have a leg to stand on – because he has not even been to a game since the new manager took over. Haise said: “The article that [the comments] appeared in was a lot more complete than that. But he hasn’t seen a Nice match this season.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS”He’s speaking a bit more about what he saw at another time.”With the people who are here at the club, we are here to make the club progress in order to be even better.”Man Utd confirm Old Trafford decision with club set to build £2bn 100,000-seater ‘Wembley of the North’ But mindful not to cause a rift with his employer, Haise insisted there was no bad blood between the pair.He added: “It’s not that serious. We can be annoyed, that’s obvious.”But is it really worth staying annoyed for a long time? “We have got to keep working, enjoying ourselves and we have got to be doing the best possible. “We have to move on and continue on our path.”Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s first year at Man UtdSIR JIM RATCLIFFE’S minority takeover at Manchester United was announced on Christmas Eve in 2023 – and a lot has happened at Old Trafford since…December 2023 – Man Utd confirm Ratcliffe’s takeover on Christmas Eve, vowing to invest £245m into Old TraffordJanuary 2024 – Ratcliffe and right-hand man Sir Dave Brailsford photographed meeting Erik ten Hag during tour of Carrington January 2024 – Omar Berrada poached from Man City as new CEO February 2024 – Ratcliffe’s £1billion, 27.7 per cent takeover officially completed February 2024 – Former CEO Richard Arnold quits board as Ineos pair John Rees and Rob Nevin addedMarch 2024 – Ratcliffe bans words “awesome” and “lukewarm cappuccino” in bizarre moveMarch 2024 – Matt Johnson appointed head of women’s footballMarch 2024 – Ratcliffe announces plans to build “Wembley of the North” to replace Old TraffordMarch 2024 – Man Utd NYSE share price drops to $13.73 on March 21 – down from $20.52 immediately after Ratcliffe takeover in DecemberApril 2024 – Senior staff club credit cards and private cars cancelled April 2024 – John Murtough quits as football director April 2024 – Jason Wilcox appointed technical director after compensation package agreed with Southampton May 2024 – Ratcliffe turns Carrington “toxic” after sending email to employees slamming “disgraceful” lack of cleanlinessMay 2024 – Work finally starts on leaking Old Trafford roofMay 2024 – Man Utd finish eighth in Premier League, worst-ever finish May 2024 – Ratcliffe gives employees just one week to decide if they want to accept redundancy May 2024 – Staff forced to pay for own transport to FA Cup final and only given one ticketMay 2024 – Pre-match party and hotel for senior staff before FA Cup final axedMay 2024 – Man Utd shock rivals Man City to win FA Cup despite suggestions Erik ten Hag will be sacked regardless of resultJune 2024 – Man Utd announce £50m plans to upgrade Carrington training ground June 2024 – Ratcliffe introduces strict “back to work” policy forcing staff to come into officeJune 2024 – Ratcliffe scores own goal with comments about women’s teamJuly 2024 – Man Utd finally agree deal to bring in Dan Ashworth as sporting director after four months of gardening leave at Newcastle, who received £3m in compensationJuly 2024 – Erik ten Hag signs shock new contract extension until 2026July 2024 – Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake appointed assistant managers, Andreas Georgson first-team coach and Jelle ten Rouwelaar goalkeeper coach. Darren Fletcher’s role changes from technical director to first-team coach. Steve McClaren, Mitchell van der Gaag and Benni McCarthy depart.July 2024 – Ex-Chelsea technical director Christopher Vivell joins on short-term basis as interim director of recruitment July 2024 – Jean-Claude Blanc added to Man Utd board  July 2024 – Man Utd cut down number of staff on US pre-season tour to 125July 2024 – Ratcliffe makes 250 redundancies including popular media man John Allen, historian Cliff Butler and kitman Alex WylieAugust 2024 – Man Utd splash out £199m in the summer transfer window August 2024 – Matchday staff lunchboxes scrapped and some forced to eat beside toiletOctober 2024 – Man Utd stop paying £2m-a-year ambassador salary to Sir Alex FergusonOctober 2024 – Staff Christmas party cancelled October 2024 – “Back to work” policy costing Utd fortune to convert hospitality suites into temporary offices between home matchesOctober 2024 – Erik ten Hag sacked with club 14th in Premier League table, costing club £15mNovember 2024 – Ruben Amorim appointed new Man Utd manager on deal until 2027 after stumping up £10m release clause November 2024 – Coach Ruud van Nistelrooy axed by new manager Ruben Amorim November 2024 – Man Utd chiefs locked in blame game over summer shambles including Erik ten Hag situation and transfer signings November 2024 – Ratcliffe reportedly set to half £40,000 budget paid to Manchester United Disabled Supporters AssociationDecember 2024 – Ratcliffe admits “mediocre” Man Utd “still in last century” December 2024 – Fans protest after OAP and children concessions tickets ditched and minimum home ticket cost up to £66December 2024 – Dan Ashworth sacked after five months as sporting directorDecember 2024 – £100 staff Christmas bonus ditched for £40 M&S voucherDecember 2024 – Ceiling starts leaking during Ruben Amorim’s press conference after 3-0 defeat to BournemouthDecember 2024 – Reports of a mice infestation at Old Trafford as rodent droppings found in food kiosks and plush suites as food hygiene ratings drops to just two starsDecember 2024 – SunSport reveals Ratcliffe cuts £40,000 funding donation to Association of Former Manchester United Players charityHaise will be desperate to prove Ratcliffe wrong come the end of the season.His Nice side sit fourth in Ligue 1 in a crazy six-team battle for a Champions League place. PSG are the runaway leaders but Nice are two points adrift of Marseille in second.The top three are guaranteed a league phase place, with fourth going into qualifying. Nice have not played in the top European competition since 2017-18 – but have a far stronger chance than United of qualifying through their league finish.READ MORE SUN STORIESUnited are slumped down in 13th in the Premier League table – but could get into the Champions League by winning the Europa League.Ruben Amorim’s men face Lyon in the quarter-finals in April with the winners to face Rangers or Athletic Bilbao in the semis – and potentially a blockbuster final against Tottenham on May 21 in Bilbao.Nice are on course to earn a spot in the Champions League next seasonCredit: Reuters More