France

STOCKHOLM/PARIS — Allegations of rape against French footballer Kylian Mbappé are "totally false" and "a slanderous rumour", his representatives said, and his lawyer said he was beyond reproach, following media reports that Mbappé was the subject of an investigation over an incident in a Stockholm hotel on Oct. 10.

Mbappé rape rumors

Swedish prosecutors confirmed in a statement in response to the media coverage that a probe into an alleged rape at a hotel in central Stockholm had been opened, but they did not identify a suspect.

BRUSSELS, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Players have never been closer to going on strike amid growing discontent towards soccer's governing bodies, notably FIFA and its revamped Club World Cup that is being compared to a 'Super League', the head of players' union FIFPRO Europe said on Monday.

David Terrier was speaking to Reuters after FIFPRO Europe, the European Leagues association and Spain's LaLiga accused FIFA of "abuse" as they filed a joint complaint about the global governing body's international match schedule to European Union antitrust regulators.

PARIS — French soccer player Paul Pogba’s doping suspension has been cut to 18 months from an initial four years, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Friday.

"The suspension is now 18 months, starting Sept. 11, 2023," CAS director general Matthieu Reeb told Reuters.

Paul Pogba ban reduced

Paul Pogba: “Finally, the nightmare is over”.

“I can look forward to the day when I can follow my dreams again”.

PARIS, Sept 30 (Reuters) - France midfielder Antoine Griezmann announced the end of his international career on Monday after being coach Didier Deschamps's most important player for a decade, during which he won a World Cup title.

The 33-year-old, who struggled at this year's Euros, was one of the key elements in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup campaigns as Les Bleus took the title in Russia and finished runners-up in Qatar.

France's World Cup-winning defender Raphaël Varane announced his retirement from football at the age of 31 on Wednesday, bringing down the curtain on his successful career after suffering a serious knee injury.

Varane made 93 appearances for France from 2013-22, playing a key role in their victory at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, as well as their runners-up finish four years later in Qatar. He retired from international football in 2023.

Varane retires

The UEFA Champions League has confirmed the fixtures for the new "league phase" format for the 2024/25 season. The draw marks a significant change from the traditional group stage format, with a shift towards a league phase that includes 36 teams, an increase from the previous 32.

Spoiler: Paris Saint-Germain are not liking the new format.

Confirmed: New UEFA Champions League "league phase" draw fixtures

Pot 1 fixtures:

PARIS — Spain secured the gold medal in the Olympic men's soccer tournament after Sergio Camello scored twice in extra time to earn a dramatic 5-3 win over hosts France in a nail-biting final at Parc des Princes on Friday.

The teams were locked at 3-3 at the end of normal time but Camello scored 10 minutes into the extra period and scored another at the end to earn Spain their first Olympic title since 1992.

PARIS — France coach Thierry Henry called the behavior of some of his players unacceptable after their 1-0 Olympic quarter-final victory over Argentina in Bordeaux ended in a brawl and a red card for midfielder Enzo Millot.

Hosts France knocked out Argentina on Friday to avenge the country's defeat in the last World Cup final in a bitter rivalry recently fuelled by a video of Argentine players directing chants labelled as racist at French players.

PARIS — Hosts France reached the Olympic men's football semi-finals for the first time in 40 years with a 1-0 win over Argentina thanks to Jean-Philippe Mateta's first-half goal in a grudge match in Bordeaux on Friday.

France will face Egypt for a place in the final and Morocco meet Spain in the other semi.

France vs Argentina fight after the game

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