French
Nantes complete signing of Liverpool’s central midfielder
French club Nantes have completed the signing of Premier League giants Liverpool’s central midfielder Pedro Chirivella. The former Spain U17 international is now set to leave the Anfield club on a free transfer once his contract with the current European champions comes to an end on June 30. Liverpool announced the decision on their official website in a lengthy statement where the club wished Chirivella the best for the future. “Liverpool FC can confirm Pedro Chirivella is set to join French side Nantes upon the expiration of his contract at the end of this month,” read the statement. “Everybody at Liverpool FC thanks Pedro for his contribution to the club and wishes him the best of luck in his future career.” Nantes had a difficult time in the Ligue 1’s 2019-20 campaign where they finish...
Moses Simon, Victor Osimhen shortlisted for 2020 Marc-Vivien Foe prize
Nantes winger Moses Simon and Lille striker Victor Osimhen have been nominated for the 2020 Marc-Vivien Foe prize alongside nine other African stars. The 11 nominees for the annual award, organised by Radio France International and France 24, were announced on Friday with the winner set to be revealed on June 29. The other nominees are Reims centre-back Yunis Abdelhamid, Saint-Etienne forward Denis Bouanga, Montpellier forward Andy Delort, Metz star Habib Diallo, PSG midfielder Idrissa Gueye, Monaco striker Islam Slimani and Rennes trio Mbaye Niang, Hamari Traore and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. The shortlist is dominated by four Senegalese, with two Algerians, two Nigerians, one Gabonese, one Moroccan and also included one Malian. Arsenal’s Nicolas Pepe won the 2019 edition before his switch...
NFF sympathises with Victor Osimhen over dad’s demise
The Nigeria Football Federation has reached out to Super Eagles’ forward Victor Osimhen who lost his father on Saturday evening, expressing grief and a groundswell of sorrow among the Nigerian Football family over the passing of the patriarch of the Osimhen family. Reports said Mr. Patrick Osimhen, 80, died in Lagos on Saturday night after a brief illness. President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick, was the first to reach out to the player following the outbreak of the sad news, and he assured the former U17 World Cup winner of the empathy and support of the country’s football family at this challenging moment for the youngster and his family. “I have spoken to Victor Osimhen and expressed the sorrow of the NFF and the entire Nigerian Football family. His club, ...
Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel agree €500 billion coronavirus recovery plan for Europe
France and Germany proposed Monday a 500-billion-euro ($542-billion) fund to finance the recovery of the European Union’s economy from the devastation wrought by the coronavirus crisis. Putting aside past differences and seeking to prove that the Franco-German core of Europe remains intact, President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the unprecedented package after talks by video conference. European Central Bank head Christine Lagarde told major European newspapers that “the Franco-German proposals are ambitious, targeted and welcome.” With the European economy facing its biggest challenge since World War II, Macron also acknowledged that the EU had fallen short in its initial response to the virus and needed to coordinate more closely on health. Financed by “borrowin...
Lyon women awarded French title for 14th consecutive season
French women’s football giants Lyon will be declared league champions for the 2019-20 campaign, collecting the title for the 14th consecutive year after the season was ended by the coronavirus pandemic. The decision was confirmed to AFP by a source close to talks held Monday by the French football federation as well as a source at Lyon, backing up an earlier report from RMC Sport. Lyon, winners of the past four Women’s Champions League finals, have claimed the French title every year since 2007. The women’s top flight in France was halted in mid-March when Lyon held a three-point lead over Paris Saint-Germain. Last month, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced that professional sport could not return until September. The men’s Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 divisions were ended, with PSG na...
Didier Drogba beats Zlatan Ibrahimovic as best Ligue 1 striker in last two decades
Former Marseille and Guingamp star Didier Drogba has been crowned Ligue 1’s greatest striker of the past 20 years, ahead of PSG legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Drogba was recognised by Ligue 1 on Saturday after collecting 51 per cent of the 40,094 votes cast by fans on social media. He spent two-and-a-half years in the French top-flight and played for Guingamp between 2001 and 2003 before moving to Marseille where he spent a season. The two-time African Player of the Year scored 39 goals in 81 Ligue 1 games – 20 goals at Guingamp and 19 efforts at Marseille while Ibrahimovic scored 113 goals in 122 Ligue 1 matches between 2012 and 2016 at PSG. On his run to the final stage, Drogba saw off competition from Fernando Morientes, Alexander Frei, Karim Benzema and Pauleta. The former Ivory Coast forw...
France using artificial intelligence to check whether people are wearing masks on public transport
France is integrating new AI tools into security cameras in the Paris metro system to check whether passengers are wearing face masks. The software, which has already been deployed elsewhere in the country, began a three-month trial in the central Chatelet-Les Halles station of Paris this week, reports Bloomberg. French startup DatakaLab, which created the program, says the goal is not to identify or punish individuals who don’t wear masks, but to generate anonymous statistical data that will help authorities anticipate future outbreaks of COVID-19. “We are just measuring this one objective,” DatakaLab CEO Xavier Fischer told The Verge. “The goal is just to publish statistics of how many people are wearing masks every day.” The pilot is one of a number of measures cities around the world a...
