• The Canadian Press

    Black coaches are rare in soccer. Is this because of a lack of diversity in the boardroom?

    MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Ricky Hill packed his bags and prepared to uproot his life again. Next stop: Chicago. The former England international soccer player is accustomed to making sacrifices and traveling far to build his coaching career, an effort he says has been stymied because he is Black. “It is something that I hate to do because home is where the heart is,” Hill said of leaving behind his wife of 38 years and his 99-year-old mother to chase a rare management opportunity. Racism has lo

  • The Canadian Press

    Big Mac attack: McDonald’s to become the Grand Fromage in French football

    PARIS — The crème de la crème of French soccer will become sponsored by fast-food big cheese. McDonald's signed on to be the title sponsor of the French top-flight from July for the next three seasons. “This partnership marks the coming together of two major institutions that are deeply rooted in the daily lives and collective imagination of the French people,” the league said on Thursday. McDonald's will be succeeding Uber Eats as the title sponsor of Ligue 1. Financial details of the deal were

  • The Canadian Press

    Lacazette and O'Brien on target for Lyon in exciting 3-2 win at Toulouse

    TOULOUSE, France (AP) — Irish defender Jake O’Brien scored a late winner for Lyon in a topsy-turvy 3-2 win at Toulouse in the French league on Friday. The victory opened a five-point gap between Lyon in 10th and Toulouse in 11th and extended Lyon’s recent fine run. It has won nine of its last 12 games under Pierre Sage, the coach who took over in November when the seven-time champion was on the bottom of the Ligue 1 table. The latest triumph was always in doubt in a thrilling end-to-end encounte

  • The Canadian Press

    Lille midfielder Bouaddi, 16, looks to follow in Hazard's footsteps

    PARIS (AP) — When Eden Hazard visited his former club Lille during a French league game last weekend, it was a timely reminder of what the northern club did so well in the past. Turning young players into future stars. Next in line could be Ayyoub Bouaddi, a 16-year-old midfielder who has caught the eye and is being touted as Lille's best prospect since Hazard. Hazard joined Lille's academy as a youth, made his league debut two months before his 17th birthday, then helped the club win the French