Football in France | GlobalPost

Football: Arsenal must aim higher, says Henry

Agence France-PresseMay 29, 2013 12:49

Arsenal great Thierry Henry warned the club on Wednesday that they must set their sights higher than merely qualifying for the Champions League. Arsene Wenger's side celebrated jubilantly after securing a top-four finish in the Premier League with a 1-0 win at Newcastle United on the final day of the Premier League season, drawing criticism from some quarters. Henry, who now plays for the New York Red Bulls, says the only thing worth celebrating this season was the fact Arsenal denied fierce local rivals Tottenham Hotspur a Champions League place.

Football: Mali star Diakite signs for Bastia

Agence France-PresseMay 27, 2013 15:16

Mali international defender Drissa Diakite signed for Ligue 1 side Bastia on Monday from Greek champions Olympiakos. The 28-year-old, who failed to become a first team regular at Olympiakos after joining them last year from another Ligue 1 side Nice, signed a two year contract with the Corsica-based side. Diakite, who played 160 times for Nice from 2005 to 2012, could well be joined by another player from Olympiakos in veteran midfielder Francois Modesto.

Football: Grenier rewarded for recent form with France call

Agence France-PresseMay 27, 2013 12:15

Lyon midfielder Clement Grenier has been rewarded for a dazzling season with a call-up to the France squad for a pair of friendlies in South America. With Manchester City's Samir Nasri a doubt, 22-year-old Grenier has been included in Didier Deschamps squad for matches against Uruguay and Brazil next month. Having almost been sold to Nice last August, Grenier made the most of an injury to playmaker Yoann Gourcuff in the early part of this campaign to cement a place in the Lyon team, scoring seven goals and providing five assists.

Football: Lyon, Nice clinch Euro spots, Troyes relegated

Agence France-PresseMay 26, 2013 18:30

Lyon secured their place in next season's Champions League qualifying stages with a 2-0 victory over Rennes on the final day of the Ligue 1 season on Sunday, while Nice pipped Lille to a Europa League spot after winning 2-0 away to Ajaccio. Lisandro Lopez scored a first-half penalty for Lyon at Stade Gerland after Onyekachi Apam handled in the area, while Clement Grenier's stunning free-kick on 69 minutes wrapped up the points for Remi Garde's side as they clinched third place to punch their ticket into Europe's top club competition.

Football: Returning Monaco threaten PSG monopoly

Agence France-PresseMay 26, 2013 18:30

Fresh from winning their first title in 19 years, Paris Saint-Germain will be hoping the 2012-13 season marks the start of a new era of domination over French football to match that enjoyed by Olympique Lyonnais in the last decade. Lyon won seven titles in a row between 2002 and 2008, but PSG became the fifth different Ligue 1 champion in the five seasons since then when they secured the title with two games of this campaign to spare.

Football: Montanier to swap La Real for Rennes

Agence France-PresseMay 21, 2013 10:01

Philippe Montanier will leave Spanish side Real Sociedad at the end of this season to take over at French Ligue 1 club Rennes, it was confirmed on Tuesday. Real Sociedad revealed earlier on Tuesday that Montanier, 48, would leave the Basque club at the end of the current season after rejecting their offer of a new contract. And a short while later Rennes confirmed that the Frenchman would take over at the Stade de la Route de Lorient as of July 1, accompanied by his assistant Michel Troin.

Football: French Ligue 1 results

Agence France-PresseMay 20, 2013 06:15

French Ligue 1 results on Sunday: Nice 1 (Cvitanich 47-pen) Lyon 1 (Grenier 76) Saturday Montpellier 0 Lille 0 Sochaux 1 (Sio 42) Toulouse 2 (Sylla 14, Akpa Akpro 21) Reims 1 (Krychowiak 33-pen) Lorient 0 Evian/Thonon 2 (Khelifa 2, Ehret 12) Valenciennes 0 Nancy 1 (Puygrenier 60) Bastia 2 (Ilan 47, Modeste 71) Troyes 1 (Bahebeck 56) Bordeaux 0 Rennes 1 (Erding 45+2) Ajaccio 1 (F. Diawara 5) Saint-Etienne 2 (L. Perrin 25, Brandao 42) Marseille 0

Football:Drogba suffers new Ivory Coast World Cup snub

Agence France-PresseMay 16, 2013 17:00

Veteran striker Didier Drogba was again left out of the Ivory Coast squad when coach Sabri Lamouchi unveiled his 26 players for next month's World Cup qualifiers against Gambia and Tanzania. The 35-year-old Drogba led his country at the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa this year but the team exited at the quarter-finals stage. As a result, the former Chelsea star was axed from the squad for March's World Cup qualifier against Gambia. Despite Drogba's 96 caps and 60 international goals, Lamouchi has resisted the urge to recall the Galatasaray veteran.

Football: France squad for Uruguay, Brazil friendlies

Agence France-PresseMay 16, 2013 09:46

France coach Didier Deschamps on Thursday announced a 23-strong squad for friendly away matches against Uruguay on June 5 and Brazil four days later: Goalkeepers: Mickael Landreau (Bastia), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham/ENG), Steve Mandanda (Marseille) Defenders: Gael Clichy (Manchester City/ENG), Jeremy Mathieu (Valencia/ESP), Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle/ENG), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal/ENG), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal/ENG), Mamadou Sakho (Paris Saint-Germain), Eliaquim Mangala (Porto/POR), Adil Rami (Valencia/ESP)

Football: Abidal to discuss Barca future with president

Agence France-PresseMay 15, 2013 10:01

French full-back Eric Abidal is due to have a meeting with Barcelona president Sandro Rosell to discuss his future with the Catalans, club spokesman Toni Freixa said Wednesday. The 33-year-old has missed most of the last year after contracting liver cancer and his current playing deal comes to an end in June. Barca have not revealed whether Abidal's offer is to continue playing or for some other role -- although a month ago they suggested it was an ambassadorial role -- but the Spanish champions are keen to keep him on.