Ligue 1 - players.bio

F1 title fight is increasingly focused on McLaren but Verstappen still hopeful

JEDDAH: Ahead of Sunday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, this Formula 1 season is looking like McLaren vs. McLaren. Still, defending champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull says he hasn’t lost hope. McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are the only ones to consistently have the pace through the first four rounds of the championship. Norris has a three-point lead but admits he isn’t at his best — though he had the fastest time of the day in practice on Friday — while Piastri has momentum after winning in Bahrain last week. Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes have all had their moments but none has been a consistent challenger, as McLaren’s 58-point constructors’ championship lead shows. Friday practice Norris went fastest in the second practice session, while Yuki Tsunoda crashed to continue his difficult start with Red Bull.

Klopp ‘happy’ in new job despite Real Madrid rumors: agent

BERLIN: Jurgen Klopp is “very happy” in his current post at Red Bull despite rumors linking him to a return to management with Real Madrid, his agent said Friday. The former Liverpool manager became Red Bull’s Global Head of Soccer in January, taking care of a stable of clubs including RB Leipzig, the New York Red Bulls and Bragantino in Brazil. Real Madrid’s quarter-final elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Arsenal this week has led to speculation manager Carlo Ancelotti is headed for the exit at the end of the season. German media reported that Klopp was one of the names that the Spanish giants want to take over in the Bernabeu dugout. Asked about the rumors, his agent Marc Kosicke said 57-year-old Klopp was enjoying his new job. “Jurgen is very happy with his new role with Red Bull,” Kosicke told Sky Deutschland. Also speaking on Friday, RB Leipzig coach Zsolt Low said he “could not imagine” Klopp moving to Real Madrid, adding the German was “very happy in the job.” Low praised Klopp’s impact, saying “he’s shown that he can bring a club together, a group of 40, 50, 60 people, and take them with him. “He adds incredible value with his experience, his human quality and his energy.” In a 23-year career as a top-flight manager with Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund and Mainz, Klopp left each club of his own accord, a rarity in coaching. “No matter where he’s been, he’s given 100 percent,” Low said, adding “regardless of where he is he’s stayed and done the job. It’s important to him to make a clean exit.” Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso is considered a leading candidate for the Real Madrid job.

Morocco ex-football club chair denies seizing villa in drug case

CASABLANCA: The former president of Morocco’s most successful football club maintained in court Friday that he legally acquired a villa he is accused of seizing from a convicted Malian drug trafficker dubbed the “Escobar of the Sahara.” Said Naciri, who was chairman of Casablanca club Wydad AC and president of the city’s prefectural council, is being tried alongside the head of a regional council in eastern Morocco, Abdennabi Bioui, in a vast drug trafficking case related to the jailed kingpin. Both defendants — former officials of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), a member of the country’s ruling coalition — have been in custody since the end of 2023, and face charges of “possession, marketing, and export of drugs,” as well as corruption and related offenses. Naciri was accused by the Malian trafficker, Ahmed Ben Brahim, of having wrongfully dispossessed him of a villa in an upscale Casablanca neighborhood, one of Naciri’s lawyers told AFP. But Naciri denied the allegation in court on Friday, saying he legally purchased the villa though a real estate company in 2017 before finalizing the acquisition in 2019. “I am taking advantage of my hearing before the court to refute the false allegations being made,” he told the court, presenting documents and testimony that he said supported his version of events. The trial is the first in Morocco to see prominent political figures accused in a drug trafficking case. It opened last May, and involves 25 people alleged to have played roles in the trafficking network of Ben Brahim, who is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence. Ben Brahim, whose complaint initiated the proceedings against Naciri and Bioui, accuses the pair of helping him smuggle drugs to elsewhere in

Semifinal Liga Champions: Peluang Treble Inter, Barca, PSG

Peluang treble musim ini masih dimiliki tiga dari empat semifinalis Liga Champions 2024/2025, yakni Inter Milan, Barcelona, dan Paris Saint-Germain.

PSG Vs Aston Villa: Les Parisiens Pantang Terbuai Gelar Juara Ligue 1

Paris Saint-Germain sudah mengunci gelar juara Ligue 1. Pelatih PSG Luis Enrique yakin hal itu tidak akan membuat timnya kehilangan fokus di Liga Champions.

Barcelona held by Betis, miss chance to extend league lead

BARCELONA: Barcelona spurned the chance to extend their lead at the top of the LaLiga standings when they were held at home 1-1 by Real Betis on Saturday, with visiting defender Natan canceling out Gavi’s early opener.

Trinity Rodman scores early in return from 8-month injury absence, and US women beat Brazil 2-0

INGLEWOOD, California: Trinity Rodman drilled her shot into the bottom corner of Brazil’s net and promptly got mobbed by her teammates. She broke away from the goal celebration and grabbed her lower back, pretending to seize up with pain — only to stand up tall and laugh while flipping her pink hair over both shoulders.

Benzema breaks Al-Ahli hearts in Sea Derby Special

JEDDAH: It was honors even in a thrilling Sea Derby on Saturday as Al-Ahli drew 2-2 with Al-Ittihad who twice came back to earn a precious point. A 95th minute strike from Karim Benzema broke the hearts of home fans and put the leaders five points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League. For the 60,000 fans at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, there was plenty of excitement and entertainment in a game that could have gone either way. There was some worrying news for Al-Ittihad fans as goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic picked up an injury in the thrilling King’s Cup semifinal win over Al-Shabab on Tuesday but stand-in Mohammed Al-Mahasneh showed his worth early in the first start of the season. In the eighth minute, he saved from Firas Al-Buraikan’s low shot from inside the area and then got down quickly to deny Ivan Toney from the rebound. At the other end, Edouard Mendy returned to the number one position and returned to fitness for Al-Ahli, who had not played a competitive game for three weeks. There is no doubt however that his opposite number had more to do in the early exchanges.

Contacts

Ligue 1 Sport News

F1 title fight is increasingly focused on McLaren but Verstappen still hopeful

Klopp ‘happy’ in new job despite Real Madrid rumors: agent

Morocco ex-football club chair denies seizing villa in drug case

Semifinal Liga Champions: Peluang Treble Inter, Barca, PSG

PSG Vs Aston Villa: Les Parisiens Pantang Terbuai Gelar Juara Ligue 1

Barcelona held by Betis, miss chance to extend league lead

Trinity Rodman scores early in return from 8-month injury absence, and US women beat Brazil 2-0

Benzema breaks Al-Ahli hearts in Sea Derby Special