France

PARIS — Olympique Lyonnais will seek millions of euros in damages as they face being deprived of European competition for the first time in a quarter of a century following the decision to end the Ligue 1 season, club president Jean-Michel Aulas said.

The French League (LFP) said on Thursday it was ending the 2019-20 campaign amid the COVID-19 crisis, resulting in Lyon finishing seventh, outside of the positions that would offer a place in European competition for next season.

Paris Saint-Germain moved within a fingertip of being crowned Ligue 1 champion when the French league recommended to freeze the 2019-20 standings amid the COVID-19 crisis on Thursday, French sports daily L'Equipe reported. 

According to the newspaper, the LFP's board will ratify the recommendation on Thursday afternoon and effectively hand PSG its seventh title in the last eight years. The decision would mean that second-place Marseille and third-place Rennes would be in next season's Champions League with PSG. 

On Tuesday, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe confirmed that France’s top two tiers of football would not be able to resume the 2019-20 season. Philippe announced all major sporting events in the country will be put on hold until September.

OFFICIAL: "Big sporting events will not be able to take place before September," said French PM Edouard Philippe. "The 2019-20 season, notably for football, will not be able to resume." Ligue 1 & Ligue 2 are done.

FIFA has proposed that teams should be allowed to make up to five substitutions per match, instead of the usual three, as a temporary measure to help cope with potential fixture congestion in the aftermath of the novel coronavirus outbreak. 

Football has been at a standstill since mid-March but many leagues and federations are still hoping to complete the season but to do so they would have to cram fixtures into a shorter period than usual once play re-starts.

Kylian Mbappé is one of Europe’s most talented players despite being just 21. But former France great Emmanuel Petit is growing increasingly annoyed with the young superstar.

Petit spoke with the RMC Sport’s Team Duga podcast this week and expressed frustration with the younger Frenchman, saying his Neymar-esque antics are growing tiresome, counteracting his incredible return of 90 goals in 120 PSG appearances.

Welcome to our wall-to-wall coverage of Day 2 of the FIFA Stay and Play Cup — it's the first four matches of the Round of 16!

If you missed yesterday’s play-in round, catch up on all the action here. Wednesday was dominated by Scandinavian clubs while Marseille, Valencia, PSV and Helsinki all ate it. 

Neymar’s mother Nadine Gonçalves, 52, recently posted an intimate picture with her new boyfriend Tiago Ramos. Ramos is a gamer, TikTok person, model, and, oh, he's 22.

Nadine Gonçalves divorced Neymar Sr. in 2016 after being married for 25 years and raising Brazil and PSG superstar Neymar Jr.

Paul Pogba's stint on the sidelines has made him more determined to succeed on his return from a layoff for a foot injury, the Manchester United midfielder has said. Pogba's injury restricted him to eight appearances so far this season, but he was primed to return before professional football in England was suspended because of the COVID-19 outbreak. 

When soccer fans think about the best youth academies in the world, some of the clubs that probably come to mind are Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and perhaps Dinamo Zagreb. 

While the academy of Stade Rennais may not often come up in that discussion, it has produced some extraordinary talents and often does not get the credit it is due. Rennes has produced World Cup winners and champions of leagues across the continent. Here are some of the best talents who started their careers in the capital of the famous region of Brittany.

Paris Saint-Germain has raised over 200,000 euros ($221,320.00) for local healthcare professionals battling the coronavirus outbreak with the release of a limited edition jersey, the Ligue 1 champions have said.

The shirt is a replica of PSG's current home strip but has the words "Tous Unis" (All Together) where the main sponsor logo usually sits and features badges pledging support to doctors.

The club confirmed on Twitter it had sold out a batch of 1,500 shirts via its online store on Thursday night, with all the proceeds going to Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris.