French Ligue 1
JUST TWO WEEKS ON THE JOB, NEW PSG COACH CONTRACT CORONAVIRUS
Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino has tested positive for Covid-19, the French champions said on Friday (Jan 15), just two weeks after taking up his job.
The 48-year-old Argentine will “respect isolation and is subject to the appropriate health protocols”, PSG said on Twitter.
His assistants Jesus Perez and Miguel D’Agostino will take charge of the team for Saturday’s trip to Angers.
Three PSG players had already tested positive for the virus in the last week – Brazilian Rafinha, Germany’s Thilo Kehrer and French youth international Colin Dagba.
Former Tottenham coach Pochettino has overseen three PSG games so far, notably winning the Champions Trophy in Lens on Wednesday thanks to a 2-1 win over bitter rivals Marseille.
Pochettino took over from Thomas Tuchel and signed a contract until June 30, 2022 with an option for an additional year.
Tuchel was sacked on Dec 24, reportedly for comments viewed as critical of the Qatari owners despite having led the team to a maiden appearance in the Champions League final last season.
Pochettino also played for the Parisians from 2001 to 2003.
France has reeled from more than 2.8 million Covid-19 infections and 69,313 deaths, according to official figures.
From Saturday, a nationwide curfew, starting at 6pm, will be introduced.
Meanwhile, relegation threatened Lorient’s home game against fellow strugglers Dijon was cancelled on Friday after a virus outbreak in the Breton side.
The postponement of Sunday’s game is the first in Ligue 1 since Marseille’s meeting with Nice on November 17 was called off.
“Following advice from the national Covid commission, it was decided to postpone the match due to the absence of more than 10 of 30 Lorient players after positive RT-PCR tests,” the French Football Federation announced.
Under protocols agreed at the beginning of September, matches are postponed if a team does not have 20 players with negative tests available.
Lorient also confirmed their training centre would close for a minimum of 10 days after positive tests from youth players and management.
There are fears the virus may have spread after the Lorient youngsters played a recent friendly against Nantes.
Lorient sit 19th in Ligue 1, are winless in five games, and are two points and one place behind Dijon.
Strasbourg’s match with Saint-Etienne, scheduled for Sunday at the same time as the Lorient versus Dijon game, is also under threat of postponement.
Several players and members of the management team at Saint-Etienne have tested positive, said the club.
“The PCR tests carried out Tuesday and Thursday revealed many positive cases for Covid-19 among the players and members of the management of the squad,” said the club in a statement.
Saint-Etienne are currently in 16th place in the table, five points off the drop zone with Strasbourg a place and a point better off.
-AFP
French Ligue 1
Moses Simon hits Ligue 1 Milestone
After reaching a significant career milestone, Super Eagles winger and Nantes star, Moses Simon, was recognised by French Ligue 1 on Tuesday.
A pillar in the Nigeria Super Eagles side that finished second in last February’s Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire, Simon is regarded as one of the most decisive Nigerian players in the French top division. He reached a milestone of 150 matches in the French Ligue 1 during Nantes’ 1-1 draw with Angers SCO at the weekend.
The Ligue 1 official Twitter account marked the occasion, celebrating Simon’s contributions with a post stating, “Indispensable Moses Simon.”
In his 150 appearances, the 29-year-old winger racked up 27 goals and 29 assists, showcasing his vital role in his team’s success.
Simon’s achievement places him fifth among Nigerian players with the most Ligue 1 appearances, trailing only John Utaka (239 games), Wilson Oruma (196), Taye Taiwo (191), and Victor Ikpeba (170).
Further cementing his legacy, Simon’s assist during the Angers match made him the most decisive player for Nantes since their promotion to Ligue 1 in 2013.
His pinpoint pass to Johann Lepenant in the 18th minute gave Nantes an early lead before Angers’ Himad Abdelli equalised later on.
With this assist, Simon broke the previous club record held by the late Emiliano Sala, becoming Nantes’ top contributor with 29 assists in Ligue 1.
This season, the Super Eagles forward has continued his form, recording two goals and two assists in just five games.
Simon was named Nantes’ Player of the Month for August.
Simon, who joined Nantes from Levante in August 2019, helped the Yellow Canaries lift the Coupe de France in 2022. It was the third trophy of his career, having won the Belgian Pro League and the Super Cup with Gent in 2015.
French Ligue 1
Sacked former Cote d’ivoire coach, Gasset announces retirement as Marseille manager
Jean-Louis Gasset who was sacked by Cote d’Ivoire after the group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations last January has announced his retirement as a coach of Olympique de Marseille.
He will take charge of his last game on Sunday before retiring from management, the 70-year-old said on Friday.
Gasset was appointed as interim manager by the Ligue 1 club in February after the sacking of Gennaro Gattuso, and Marseille are eight in the standings going into their final Ligue 1 game of the season at Le Havre.
“Sunday will be the last match of my career,” Gasset told a press conference.
“That I stay in football, that my experience, my ideas and my networks are used is a possibility. I don’t know how to garden, I won’t have anything to do. But as a coach, it’s over.”
The Frenchman’s previous job was with Ivory Coast from which he was sacked after the team’s poor performances in the Africa Cup of Nations group stage. They scraped through as the last lucky losers before going on to win the tournament on home soil.
-Reuters
French Ligue 1
Departing Mbappe backs good friend Dembele to become Ligue 1’s best
Kylian Mbappe has backed winger Ousmane Dembele to be a success at Paris St Germain and fill his boots after he exits the club, as he won his fifth successive Ligue 1 Player of the Year award.
France captain Mbappe, 25, last week announced that he will leave the French champions at the end of the season after a seven-year stay, during which he became their all-time top scorer with 256 goals.
Mbappe’s frustration lies with PSG’s performances in the Champions League, a trophy they have never lifted despite huge investment in the squad. He has been heavily linked with a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid, who are in the final this year seeking a 15th European crown.
His 26-year-old compatriot Dembele joined the Parisian club, who have won 10 of the last 12 Ligue 1 titles, from LaLiga side Barcelona in August last year, signing a five-year deal.
“I have shared and played with incredible players, like Dembele who is here, he is a friend and one day he will pick up this award,” Mbappe said on Monday at the award ceremony.
“I thank the club as a whole, the coach, who has helped me and trusted me, his staff, the doctors, all the people at the club, the sporting management, the president, the shareholders of the club, of course, the Emir of Qatar who came to find me at the age of 18, who has accompanied me in all my decisions…”
He said his next chapter is going to be very exciting but did not reveal any further details.
“Now I’m turning the page in my life. Everything that comes next is super exciting, but that’s another subject,” Mbappe said.
“Thank you all, I’m going to miss you. I have always tried to do my best, and I also want to thank my family, who have always been with me in good times and bad.
“My father, who is here, I know that it was very important to him that I made history in Ligue 1 before I left and I think that with humility I have done everything you wanted.”
-Reuters
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