France
French Police Violated Human Rights at Crackdown of Illegal Rave, Report Finds
A new report has uncovered human rights violations at the hands of the French police, specifically at the illicit Teknival festival in June 2021, Radio France International reports. One attendee, a 22-year-old man, infamously lost his hand when nearly 400 law enforcement officials attempted to break up the ill-fated rave of nearly 1,500 people. Dozens were reportedly injured in the chaos. The study was organized by human rights group Amnesty International, which synthesized dozens of interviews, videos and official documents for its evidence. It found police tactics to include a seven-hour barrage of tear gas, sting-ball grenades and GM2L explosives, as well as the seizure and destruction of the event organizers’ sound equipment. Altogether, the report concluded that...
Rave In Parisian Refugee Camp Draws Backlash After Migrants Endangered
An unauthorized rave which was organized in the middle of a refugee shelter ended in confrontation between law enforcement and the area’s residents. Promoters La Toilette contacted United Migrants, the nonprofit running the encampment, on Saturday, September 4th with a request to host a concert of 500 attendees. The promoter’s offer of €6,000 appealed to United Migrants, who initially saw the proposal as a way to raise funds fast, but things quickly went awry, Electronic Beats reports. According to United Migrants, La Toilette’s promises were broken almost immediately when 1,500 guests showed up instead, which drew law enforcement to the scene at 2AM. As Electronic Beats noted, viral videos began to emerge showing the absurdity of subjecting the vulnerable...
Three Premier League stars nominated for UEFA Men’s POTY
The three-man shortlist for the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award has been revealed. The award is given to the player who performed the best in UEFA competitions over the last year. This includes the Champions League, Europa League, European Championships and the Nations League. There wasn’t any room on the shortlist for Ballon d’Or frontrunners Lionel Messi or Robert Lewandowski, nor for Euro 2020 Player of the Tournament winner Gianluigi Donnarumma. Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo were also among the big names to miss out on the top three. Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City & Belgium He’s already scooped one huge individual prize with the PFA Player of the Year award, and now he’s back for another. De Bruyne was one of the stars of the Champions League knockout stages. He netted...
Rev. Jesse Jackson To Receive France’s Legion of Honour
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Brandon Bell / Getty Although he hasn’t been free of scandal throughout the years, there is no denying that the Reverend Jesse Jackson has put in plenty of work as a Civil Rights activist and leader for most of his life. France recognizes this, too, and will be awarding Jackson the Legion of Honour, its highest award for a civilian. France’s President Emmanuel Macron’s office made the announcement on Friday (July 16). “Jesse Jackson has never ceased to campaign for peace, justice and brotherhood. He is also committed to education and the climate,” said Macron’s office in a statement. “Its action, based on the strength of argument, on the rejection of all forms of racism and exclusion, always placing citizenship and the aspiration for progress at the cente...
Messi miles ahead of Bayern and Chelsea stars in Ballon D’Or race
The 2020/21 season has officially come to a close, and it’s around this time when we start to speculate about our award winners. The Ballon d’Or is the most high profile individual award in the game, recognising the world’s best player from the past 12 months. With the season over, we’re now looking at our potential winners. Two months ago, we compiled a list of the leading candidates for the prize. Since then, we’ve had a Champions League final and a summer of international football. Some of the list has aged well. Other parts….not so much (whose idea was it to give Antoine Griezmann an honourable mention?). Anyway, two months on, and we now have a clearer picture of who our 2021 Ballon d’Or winner could be. Lionel Messi The Copa America has tipped the balance in Messi’s favour As things ...
Euro 2020: Team of the Tournament
After a month of goals, late drama, penalty shoot-outs, controversy and everything else that makes football so wonderful, Euro 2020 has finally come to an end. Congratulations to Italy, who defeated England on penalties in the final on Sunday. All things considered, it was the correct result. Over the last few weeks, they’ve been the best side of the 24. Following all that excitement, here is our pick for the Team of the Tournament. Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK) – It feels like Donnarumma has been around for a while now, but he is still just 22-years-old. He’s already one of the best goalkeepers in the world and could go down as one of the greatest of all time if he continues on his current trajectory. Donnarumma was crucial in two penalty shootout victories He was given the Player of the...
Manchester United, Chelsea jostle for £25 million Euro 2020 star
Manchester United and Chelsea have expressed interest in signing Denmark defender Joachim Andersen following his impressive performances at Euro 2020. Lyon centre-back Andersen, 25, featured in all three of Denmark’s knockout matches at the Euros, as Kasper Hjulmand’s side beat Wales and the Czech Republic before suffering a semi-final defeat to England. Having spent the 2019-20 season on loan at Fulham – and impressing for Scott Parker’s side despite the Cottagers’ relegation – Andersen is known to Premier League clubs. Despite returning to Lyon this summer, Andersen is expected to sign a permanent deal at an English club before next season, with a number of sides interested in securing his signature. The Sun say both Manchester United and Chelsea have identified the £25m star as a cheape...
Arsenal launch transfer bid for Lyon star Houssem Aouar
Arsenal have reportedly made an offer to Ligue 1 outfit Lyon for midfielder Houssem Aouar following a drop in the asking price for the player. According to Le 10 Sport, Aouar could cost the Gunners under a third of the £54 million fee club officials hoped to get in 2020. The 23-year-old had been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates before the start of the 2020-21 season. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is thought to be keen on the versatile attacker who can play centrally or on the wing. In September reports in France claimed Lyon had turned their noses up at two separate bids from the North London giants of £31m and £34.5m. However, Le 10 Sport says the Gunners have returned with a fresh offer for the midfielder whose current contract with the French outfit runs out in 2023. And it is tho...
Olympic Games 2020 Football Squads: A complete list of all 16 men’s football teams
The men’s football tournament at this summer’s Olympic Games is set to kick-off on July 22, with 16 participating nations allowed to select 22 players. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the participants can use 22 players instead of the usual 18. Players on the teams must be born on or after January 1, 1997, with the addition of three overage players. Let’s see the list of the confirmed squads. Suggested Article: Olympic Football 2020: Schedule, Odds & Live Streaming. Group A France Goalkeepers: Paul Bernardoni (Angers), Stefan Bajic (Saint-Etienne), Dimitry Bertaud (Montpellier). Defenders: Melvin Bard (Lyon), Anthony Caci (Strasbourg), Ismael Doukoure (Valenciennes), Pierre Kalulu (AC Milan), Clement Michelin (Lens), Timothee Pembele (Paris Saint-Germ...
Paul Pogba pays surprise birthday visit to Burna Boy in Miami
Manchester United star and France international, Paul Pogba, paid a surprise visit to afro-pop star, Burna Boy as he celebrated his 30th birthday in Miami. The French star posted a picture of his and the Grammy award-winning musician on Instagram as he wished the artist a happy birthday. Pogba gave Burna Boy a signed number 6 shirt of his France jersey. Burna Boy clocked 30-years on Friday as his fans organized a surprise birthday party for him in the U.S. In a viral video, the singer fondly called Odogwu was seen stunned and elated when walking into a beautifully decorated space with people singing “Happy birthday” song. Ahead of his 30th birthday, Burna Boy spoke about how he would love to be like his father in terms of character. He also invited all who can make it down to Miami on July...
Arsenal warned off signing £35 million international star
Not long to go now folks! We’re around an hour away from the start of the quarter-finals at the European Championships. It’s the ‘tough half of the draw’ this evening as Spain face Switzerland, while Italy go head-to-head with Belgium. On Saturday we’ve got Czech Republic against Denmark and England versus Ukraine. Or, as most of the English media would have you believe, England are playing and no one else. Ahead of the action, we’ve dug out three stories that have caught our attention for our latest Euro 2020 Diary. Arsenal warned off Locatelli ‘I’m not a manager, but it’s not something I would do if I was in Mikel Arteta’s shoes.’ Nigel Winterburn there, telling the current Arsenal boss not to sign Manuel Locatelli. The 23-year-old has been superb at Euro 2020, sparking talk that he coul...
‘He can give much more’ – former Arsenal star hammers 28-year-old
Well, that was fun, wasn’t it? Two games, 14 goals, a penalty shoot-out and France dumped out of the European Championships in hilarious circumstances. Spain kicked off proceedings by beating Croatia after extra time in a game where defending appeared to be a forgotten art. France then did what France do best by imploding against a Switzerland team that they had criminally underestimated. Over in the ITV studio, former Arsenal and France star Patrick Vieira was not a happy camper. Vieira hammers Pogba Paul Pogba. All the talent in the world, but frustrating beyond belief. Scores a great goal to put his side 3-1 up and celebrates with a one minute dance – a great way to wind up the opposition. Played lots of brilliant passes? Absolutely. Failed miserably to be defensively disciplined? Total...
