• The Canadian Press

    Sampaoli quits after taking Marseille back to Europe's elite

    MARSEILLE, France — Having led Marseille back to the Champions League and united the hard-to-please fans behind him, coach Jorge Sampaoli left the team's preseason preparations in tatters when he quit on Friday. After Marseille announced his departure, Sampaoli claimed his objectives were not met by the club — even though there was seemingly no bitterness between him and club president Pablo Longoria. It seemed to be simply a matter of principle since Sampaoli didn't even ask for compensation. “

  • The Canadian Press

    Lyon brings back midfielder Tolisso after Bayern stint ends

    PARIS (AP) — Lyon brought France midfielder Corentin Tolisso back to the club on a five-year contract Friday. The 27-year-old France international was out of contract with Bayern Munich, the club he joined from Lyon for 41.5 million euros ($43.4 million) in 2017. “Lyon is my city, it's where I grew up and where I feel good,” Tolisso said Friday. “It's an immense pleasure and I felt an enormous amount of love from the fans.” Tolisso won five Bundesliga titles, to add to the Champions League and t

  • The Canadian Press

    Nice hires coach Favre, replacing PSG-bound Galtier

    NICE, France (AP) — French club Nice hired Lucien Favre as coach on Monday, replacing Christophe Galtier who is expected to take over at Paris Saint-Germain. Nice said Favre returned after a first spell, from 2016-18, that was “engraved in the history” of the club. Favre’s first season ended with a third-place finish in Ligue 1 and entry into the Champions League qualifying rounds. Nice owner Jim Ratcliffe said in a letter to fans that Favre commanded “respect and admiration” and his preferred s

  • The Canadian Press

    New American owner at Lyon aims to spend and chase down PSG

    American investor John Textor became the main shareholder of French soccer club Lyon on Tuesday and immediately targeted the dominance of Qatar-funded rival Paris Saint-Germain. Lyon last won the French title in 2008 and has struggled to compete as PSG spent lavishly to win Ligue 1 in eight of the past 10 seasons. Textor’s new club placed eighth in the season just ended, 25 points behind a state-backed PSG team with superstar forwards Lionel Messi, Kylian MbappĂ© and Neymar. “I don’t like these m