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      Mauricio Pochettino ‘turned down management offers as he waited for Real Madrid to call’ ahead of PSG move

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      MAURICIO POCHETTINO previously turned down management offers to wait for the Real Madrid job.That’s before he eventually ended up joining Paris Saint-Germain two years ago.
      Mauricio Pochettino is set to join Chelsea after leaving PSGCredit: Getty
      The former Tottenham boss, now set to join Chelsea, was out of football for more than a year after being sacked by Daniel Levy in November 2019 following a lengthy spell with the North London club.
      The Argentine coach was linked with replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United several times – and then again before Erik ten Hag was appointed.
      Poch is now on the verge of becoming Graham Potter’s successor at Chelsea, replacing Frank Lampard once the caretaker boss finishes the remainder of the season.
      But it was reported last year by Mundo Deportivo that he was once waiting to take over from Zinedine Zidane at Los Blancos in 2021.

      It soon became clear that the role at the Spanish giants was not on the horizon so he joined PSG – ironically Zidane then left the Bernabeu while he was in charge of the Parisians.
      They then subsequently brought Carlo Ancelotti back to the club and he has had much success winning LaLiga and the Champions League last season.
      Pochettino won the Coupe de France and Trophee des Champions in his first season and then the Ligue 1 title in his second.
      However it was not enough for him to keep his job and he was relieved of his duties last summer.
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      The Champions League remains the trophy PSG are desperate to get their hands on and Poch signed the likes of Lionel Messi, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sergio Ramos and Achraf Hakimi to help them.
      When the French side were knocked out of the Champions League by eventual winners Real Madrid in the Round of 16 it appeared Poch was on borrowed time.
      They had a 2-0 aggregate lead with just 30 minutes to play but crashed out of the competition in spectacular fashion.
      Karim Benzema’s quickfire hat-trick combined with PSG’s capitulation left the writing on the wall for Pochettino.
      Kylian Mbappe now has lots of control over decisions made at the club and there was rumours he wanted a new man in charge with the club eventually going for Christophe Galtier.
      But even Poch’s successor isn’t safe from the chaos behind the scenes, and now looks set himself to depart at the end of the season.
      Since leaving the Parc des Princes, former Southampton boss Pochettino has been linked with a number of jobs as he eyes a return to management.
      Nice were interested in him, as were Chelsea when they sacked Thomas Tuchel in September.
      But Poch and the Blues finally feel the time is right to come together as Todd Boehly looks to entrust his under-performing squad to a once-rival gaffer.
      Mauricio Pochettino will be back in management soon with ChelseaCredit: Reuters More

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      Jealous girlfriend told police her boyfriend was carrying a bomb to stop him from going to football match

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      A JEALOUS girlfriend reportedly came up with a dangerous way of preventing her boyfriend from going to a football match.That’s by allegedly telling police her partner was carrying a bomb.
      The jealous girlfriend of a Marseille fan called police claiming he had a bombCredit: AFP – Getty
      French newspaper La Depeche, via L’Independant, claims the football fan went by bus to watch his beloved Marseille play Troyes on Sunday.
      But his girlfriend was not happy at being left at home by herself.
      And the 23-year-old reportedly phoned the police to claim her boyfriend was carrying a bomb.
      It’s claimed she told response handlers: “My friend is on the bus with a bomb.
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      “He wants to blow up everything in Marseille.”
      Police traced the phone call to Colomiers, near Toulouse.
      And cops dashed to the woman’s house before she admitted her lie.
      The girlfriend allegedly told a duty investigator: “He wanted to go and support Marseille, I wanted him to stay with me.”
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      Luckily for the boyfriend, he made it to the match and watched his side beat Troyes 3-1.
      However, he was summoned to the nearest police station to explain what he had been up to.
      The report added: “Invited to explain himself, this 29-year-old supporter appeared at the police station on Monday to swear that he had no bombs or explosives.”
      Meanwhile, his girlfriend has been summoned by the courts in Toulouse for a hearing at the start of May.
      The alleged incident came a week after six people were killed in Marseille after a block of flats collapsed following an “explosion.”
      Another five were injured, while others were left trapped under rubble.
      More than 32 buildings were affected, with 163 residents evacuated. More

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      Hilarious moment French football fans drop their pants to MOON rival penalty taker in bizarre attempt to put him off

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      ALL’S derrière in love and war… Ligue 1 fans dropped their pants to MOON at an opposition penalty taker in an attempt to put him off.
      Angers fans didn’t bare to watch – they did it to try to unnerve Clermont’s second penalty-taker, Muhammed ChamCredit: AFP
      It’s the Full Clermonty! The home side celebrate sealing their comeback victoryCredit: AFP
      Perhaps they thought he was a crack shot.
      But the plan back-fired as Clermont tucked away their second spot-kick of the game – as they came from behind (of course) to beat Angers 2-1.
      Defeat left the visitors still BOTTOM and surely doomed to relegation as they are 17 points adrift with six games left.
      Yet things were looking up when Adrien Hunou put Angers in front on 28 minutes.
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      Grejohn Kyei, however, soon levelled with a penalty.
      And when Clermont were awarded another spot-kick in the 39th minute they chose Muhammed Cham to take it.
      That’s when Angers followers decided the butt stops with them to rescue the strugglers.
      Their heroes might lack creativity on the pitch but in the words of one Twitter user responding to the buttock-baring image: “The supporters of Angers do not lack imagination to destabilise the opposing team.”
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      Unfortunately for those fans, however, Austria midfielder Cham stayed focused to tuck the kick home.
      Credit to him, he then turned the other cheek rather than taunt Angers’ supporters.
      Back out in the middle, Clermont amazingly finished their victory with only nine men.
      Brazilian left-back Neto Borges picked up a straight red in first-half stoppage time.
      And in the 96th minute Ghana central defender Alidu Seidu was dismissed for his second yellow card.
      Luckily for the suffering Angers fans, their painful season is approaching the back end – albeit with a drop even more traumatic than the one they produced on Sunday. More

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      Lens star forced to apologise for disrespectful Kylian Mbappe comments that ‘don’t reflect my values as a man’

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      LENS defender Facundo Medina has apologised to Kylian Mbappe after claiming he would put the Paris Saint-Germain star in an ambulance.Second-place Lens travel to the Parc des Princes on Saturday to take on Ligue 1 leaders PSG.
      Lens defender Facundo Medina has apologised to Kylian MbappeCredit: Getty
      Paris Saint-Germain’s Mbappe will come up against Lens on SaturdayCredit: Getty
      And centre-back Medina raised eyebrows on Twitch when talking about Lionel Messi and, in particular, Mbappe.
      Firstly discussing Messi, he said: “If he dribbles past me and gets away, I’d come to him to embrace him and ask for a hug.”
      But things then took a turn when he discussed how he prepared to respond to Mbappe.
      Speaking about the Frenchman, he added: “He’s hard to mark as well, but you know me. If Mbappe goes past me, an ambulance would need to pick him up.”
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      Medina, who started in Lens’ 3-1 win over PSG in January, quickly realised he had overstepped the mark with his comments and has now backtracked.
      Speaking on Instagram, he said: “I would never act this way towards a fellow professional, even less towards one I respect, because it doesn’t reflect the values I carry as a man and as a professional.”
      Lens will reduce the gap at the top of the table to just three points with a win this weekend.
      PSG have lost three of their last five games in all competitions.
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      By contrast, Lens come into the clash off the back of four successive league wins.
      But PSG remain in pole position to clinch a ninth league title in 11 seasons.
      Mbappe has scored 31 goals in 35 club appearances in the 2022/23 campaign.
      However, the club’s stellar trio of Mbappe, Messi and Neymar failed to help them past Bayern Munich in the Champions League last-16.
      Christophe Galtier’s side went down 3-0 on aggregate as PSG’s wait for a first European crown goes on. More

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      Arsenal and Newcastle ‘joined by PSG in race for Moussa Diaby as Leverkusen aim to QUADRUPLE transfer fee’

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      ARSENAL and Newcastle have reportedly been joined by Paris Saint-Germain in the transfer race for Moussa Diaby. The French winger, 23, is high on the Gunners’ wish list while the Toon are also very interested.
      Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby has plenty of interested partiesCredit: Getty
      But now Sport Bild state Diaby’s former club PSG are going to launch an attempt to bring him back to the Parc des Princes.
      And the battle for his signature could see Bayer Leverkusen sell the rising star for QUADRUPLE the price they paid for him in 2019.
      The German outfit spent £13.2million to land Diaby from boyhood club PSG after he made 34 first-team appearances in 2018-19, scoring four.
      The former Crotone loanee has gone from strength to strength with Leverkusen, racking up 48 goals in 162 games, including 13 in 38 this term.
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      But with Arsenal tracking his progress for the last two years and Newcastle circling, the Bundesliga side managed to keep hold of their ace in the summer and January transfer windows.
      However, they are becoming increasingly resigned to losing him at the end of the season – but are desperate to make maximum profit.
      SunSport revealed it will take a bid of more than £50m to land Paris-born Diaby, who is under contract until 2025.
      And the chance to link up with Kylian Mbappe and possibly Lionel Messi if he renews his contract could be the best offer for the ten-cap senior France international.
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      Arsenal’s interest could be cooled by the immediate impact of Leandro Trossard since his arrival at the Emirates while Newcastle remain very keen and could splash the cash again despite paying £40m for Anthony Gordon in January.
      Speaking ahead of Thursday’s 1-1 Europa League quarter-final first-leg draw with Union Saint-Gilloise, Diaby said: “It’s fun when many clubs are interested in you.
      “I’m concentrating on my season in Leverkusen. It is important to me to make progress.”

      Diaby could be club team-mates with Kylian Mbappe at PSGCredit: Reuters More

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      PSG launch investigation into their own manager Christophe Galtier after racism claims

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      PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN have launched an investigation into their own manager Christophe Galtier regarding alleged claims of racism.The accusations date back to Galtier’s time managing fellow Ligue 1 side OGC Nice last season.
      Christophe Galtier is being investigated by Paris Saint-GermainCredit: Getty
      Within an email revealed by French football reporter Romain Molina last night, Nice’s former director of football Julien Fournier made allegations against Galtier.
      The report claims that Fournier accused the 56-year-old of saying his team had “too many black and Muslim players”.
      Further reporting by Nice-Matin claims that Galtier asked his Muslim players not to observe Ramadan.
      While he is also alleged to have turned down a potential transfer due to the player’s religion.
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      In response to allegations surrounding Galtier, his current employers PSG, who are claimed to have had no prior knowledge of these allegations while hiring him, have begun an internal investigation of their own.
      The Ligue 1 champions are determined to ensure that they handle the situation in a manner that avoids potential legal issues with Galtier down the road.
      PSG are next in action against RC Lens at Parc des Princes this Saturday.
      And Galtier is expected to take his pre-match press conference on Friday as usual.
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      PSG beat Nice 2-0 last Saturday courtesy of goals by Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos.
      After the match, Galtier sarcastically applauded fans of his former club after they unfurled a banner allegedly insulting his 83-year-old mother.
      According to Get French Football News, Galtier was confronted by Nice stars Khephren Thuram and Jean-Clair Todibo after the incident.
      The PSG manager has been under pressure in recent weeks due to results on the pitch.
      His side were dumped out of the Champions League in meek fashion at the round of 16 stage 3-0 by Bayern Munich.
      While surprise packages RC Lens have moved within six points of them in the title race after PSG’s recent back-to-back defeats against Rennes and Lyon.
      Galtier ‘was confronted’ by Nice stars last weekendCredit: Getty More

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      Pamela Anderson’s ex and former France star Adil Rami says he ‘doesn’t give a damn’ about his club’s relegation fears

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      ADIL RAMI has admitted he “doesn’t give a damn” if his team Troyes are relegated.The former France defender joined Troyes in 2021 and is nearing the end of his playing career.
      Adil Rami blasted his team-mates after his side’s defeat on SundayCredit: https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/12ikyr1/troyes_captain_adil_rami_on_his_teams_relegation/
      Troyes were beaten 2-0 at home by Clermont FootCredit: AFP
      Their 2-0 home defeat to Clermont Foot on Sunday pushed them closer towards the drop in what is a fierce Ligue 1 relegation battle, with four teams going down rather than the usual three.
      After the match, Troyes skipper Rami faced up to the Amazon Prime Video cameras, with his side having fallen seven points adrift of safety with eight games remaining.
      The veteran blasted: “I don’t give a damn, I am 37-years-old and my career is done.”
      On his team-mates, he added: “I don’t know if I’m sad for some players who are giving up on their careers.
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      “They will have to question themselves. The mentality is not good, and the defeat was logical.”
      On his side’s constant errors, he lamented: “We can’t be sleeping on the details like this. We talk about it, but I have the impression that on the field, it goes in one ear and out the other.”
      Rami, who dated Pamela Anderson for two years between 2017 and 2019, was particularly critical of his team’s performance on Saturday, adding: “We didn’t see a team that wanted to fight to stay up.
      “We lowered our heads, and we gave them the match. I don’t know why. We didn’t show a good image.”
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      Rami, 27, dated Pamela Anderson between 2017 and 2019Credit: AFP or licensors
      Anderson, 55, turned down Rami’s marriage proposal in 2018 while he played for Marseille, and went on to accuse the footballer of emotional and physical abuse.
      Rami strongly denied allegations.
      He told The Sun in 2019: “I hallucinate because it is so bad, those who know me know who I am and what are my principles, they know that this is impossible and that I’m incapable of doing such things.
      “If she wanted to hurt me she chose very well.
      “She knows that my commitment to the cause of violence against women is something very important for me.
      “I respect the people at Solidarité Femmes that I have met, and their fight, far too much. It is really disgusting.
      “It’s one thing to lie to keep a good relationship with her ex and her children but lying about violence in order to hurt me that’s going too far and it’s unjust.”
      Anderson accused Rami of domestic abuse upon their split… an accusation the footballer deniedCredit: AP:Associated Press More

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      Promising teen footballer hauled off for own brother just minutes after being subbed on as he is SLAMMED by manager

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      A FRENCH prodigy was hooked for his own brother just minutes after being substituted on himself. Rennes midfielder Désiré Doué found himself on the end of his manager’s wrath in the French side’s 3-1 loss to Lyon.
      Désiré Doué found himself on the end of his manager’s scornCredit: Getty
      Doué, 17, had been brought on to replace Lovro Majer in the 69th minute.
      But 18 minutes later he then found himself being substituted off for brother Guéla Doué.
      Rennes boss Bruno Genesio launched a scathing attack after the game.
      He told Amazon Prime Video Sport: “There are some things that need to be assimilated quickly.
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      “When you say it once, it’s normal. Twice, it’s one time too many.
      “When it’s more, you need to make use of other methods.”
      Genesio then suggested he would be having a private word with the France U19 international.
      He added: “It does not mean I don’t have great trust in him and that he’ll fail to make a great career.
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      “But some things need to be understood faster.”
      Doué has scored four goals in all competitions this season, including three in Ligue 1.
      The result left Rennes sixth in the table, also seeing them squander a chance to leapfrog Lille into fifth. More