Two theories are currently being investigated by local police over last night’s Dortmund bus bombing which injured Marc Bartra.

Several German media outlets have reported that a letter was found at the scene with the words: “in the name of Allah, the merciful, the merciful,” written on it, which has provoked these organisations to speculate about potential Islamic extremism links to the incident.

The Süddeutsche Zeitung however indicates that the authorities are remaining very cautious: “It is possible that those who committed the act wanted to put the blame on someone else.”

The German police’s second theory involves the idea that the act was committed by a German anti-fascist group. A claim was posted on a blog last night, Die Welt reveals, reading as follows: “Today we attacked the BVB bus with explosives.”

The blog post has since been removed. The author of the post explained the reasons for the attack: that it was a show of force against the club because it is not doing enough to fight fascism in the club nor the detestable attitude within the stadium, allegedly the reasons for this anti-fascist group committing this act, if they did so at all.

The letter found at the crime scene has yet to be verified.

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St Étienne co-President Roland Romeyer told Canal + last night that he does not want to sign soon to be free agent Mario Balotelli.

“Could we sign him? Of course. But would we do it? I do not think so. When you take into account the values of the club, our work with Christophe (Galtier) and his entire team, he is not the type of player that we want.”

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A trio of Premier League sides have made enquiries for AS Monaco forward Kylian Mbappé, according to RMC.

These clubs are Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United, who have all made contact with the player’s entourage.

There is no doubt that Mbappé will be one of the hottest names on the market this summer.

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Hurricanes head coach Jason Holland took a swipe at the role of the Television Match Official (TMO) after his side narrowly lost to the Brumbies in Canberra at the weekend.

The Super Rugby Pacific quarter-final was tightly contested with the Brumbies holding a 37-33 lead before the Hurricanes mounted a late push for the winner.

Not to be

Several minutes after the clock went red the visitors thought they had their victory through inspirational skipper Ardie Savea, only for it to ruled out as the TMO failed to find conclusive evidence that the try had been scored.

Holland admits his side could have been in a better position where the game did not hinge on the call, but believes that the function of the TMO needs to be better worked.

“We had lots of opportunities to win the game, especially in that last five or 10 minutes, and I completely understand we could have won the game without relying on that [final decision],” he told reporters.

“But the thing in my head is around TMOs, and TMOs have been the main bugbear for me. With referees you win some, you lose some and get decisions right and wrong, and I can accept that.

“The bit with this, I just keep thinking why has the TMO been brought into the game? My understanding was the TMO was brought into the game so we get things really right, especially in big situations at the end of the game.

“But I just think we’ve just created opportunities not to get it right. I think about our game, Ardie scored to win the game, and I think about when [Blues flanker] Dalton [Papalii] got the red card against the Crusaders and from the pass Tamaiti Williams drops a massive knock on and we don’t get that right, and they’re massive moments.”

A telling factor of the TMO process is to do with the initial on-field decision from the referee which in this case saw Nic Berry not award the try. For the decision to be overturned by the TMO, there has to be compelling evidence to the contrary, but no angle produced this.

Convinced the try was scored

🗣️"I scored it, brother. Initially I scored it and then he held me up. But hey, it is what it is." #SuperRugbyPacific #BRUvHUR

🌪️ Ardie Savea convinced he scored Hurricanes' match-winning try. https://t.co/tG50tFCOJX

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) June 11, 2023

However, the Hurricanes coach, like his captain, is still adamant that the try was scored.

Holland added: “Ardie scored the try, there’s no doubt about that but it’s a good one to figure out about TMOs. Is it about speeding the game up or is it about getting it right?

“The obvious one is Nic Berry could have said try or not a try. They can do that, which would have been a totally different scenario and why he did that I’m not sure.

“We’ve gone full circle from trying to get it right to now trying to speed the game up and I think we’re in all sorts of trouble because we’re relying on a question for that decision which means the TMO is probably thinking ‘that’s probably a try, but I can’t award it because of the question’.”

The heartbreaking loss marks the end of Holland’s stint at the club with the coach set to join Scott Robertson in the All Blacks set-up.

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Spanish side Atletico Madrid are making moves to sign Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette, according to L’Équipe.

The newspaper claims that concrete and advanced negotiations are occurring between Atleti and the relevant parties to try to sign the player. Lacazette himself is privately prioritising a move to join Diego Simeone’s men, according to the report.

The contours of a four or five year contract have already been drawn out and Atleti apparently see this potential transfer as another strong argument to convince Antoine Griezmann to stay at Atleti, as the two individuals are close.

Lyon want €60m to sell the player.

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20-year-old Rennes central defender Joris Gnagnon has decided to represent the Ivory Coast for his international football career, according to L’Équipe.

The player apparently made his decision in April after discussions with the Ivorian FA. A big loss for the French international set-up, even if centre-back is not a position that Les Bleus are particularly lacking in quality in.

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Prolific full-back Will Jordan was once again on the scoresheet for the Crusaders as the defending champions ran riot against the Fijian Drua, winning the quarter-final 49-8 in Christchurch.

The Crusaders had built a solid lead in the clash that resulted in a boatload of injuries for the star side and were attacking the Drua line in the 67th minute. The relentless pressure had sucked the visitors’ defence in, narrowing their set significantly.

Ever the opportunist, Jordan was wise to the narrow defensive line and spotted a practically empty blindside. The 25-year-old made the charge for the space and fortunately, replacement scrum-half Will Heinz saw his team-mate changing course and got a well-timed pass out to him.

Jordan had acres of space to work with and chopped back in to score a try by reaching for the line.
Awareness and instinct were the key attributes that bagged the All Black yet another five-pointer.

Will Jordan stretches over the line to extend the Crusaders lead 🔥

↳ Super Rugby Pacific. Crusaders v Fijian Drua, live now. Every Match. Ad-Free. Live & On Demand on the Home of Rugby, Stan Sport.#StanSportAU #SuperRugbyPacific #CRUvDRU pic.twitter.com/qP67khx5mJ

— Stan Sport Rugby (@StanSportRugby) June 10, 2023

Earlier, it was a dream start for the Christchurch side who only took two minutes to get on the board through front-row Oli Jager with fly-half Richie Mo’unga converting the score successfully.

Click here to see teams and scorers

Only four minutes later, hooker Codie Taylor crossed for his first of two tries, the second of which came in the 14th minute as Mo’unga added the extras for both.

The Drua managed to slow the bleeding in what was a horror start for them in their first taste of the Super Rugby Pacific play-offs and got on the board after 25 minutes as Frank Lomani kicked a penalty.

However, only nine minutes later the Crusaders started turning the screw yet again as Sione Havili crossed for a try that his fly-half also converted.

The Drua were given the smallest of hopes by an unconverted intercept try from Selestino Ravutaumada five minutes before the break.

Those hopes would soon be destroyed as the second period would follow with the defending champions flying out of the blocks as skipper Scott Barrett crossed in the 45th minute for a converted try.

Errors crept into the clash from both sides, making for a messy third quarter before Jordan scored his try with 13 minutes to play as Mo’unga continued to kick brilliantly from the tee.

Heinz was rewarded for his try assist as he crossed over for a late score with two minutes left, rubbing salt in the Fijian wounds. Fergus Burke was on hand for the final conversion.

The dominant win sets up an intriguing semi-final against the Blues next weekend in a replay of last season’s grand final.

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Video credit: Super Rugby Pacific

Although Wales have struggled with their form ahead of this year’s Rugby World Cup in France, Wallabies head coach Eddie Jones is wary of his Pool C rivals at the global showpiece.

Australia were drawn alongside Wales and Fiji for the third time in as many tournaments and they will be joined by Georgia and Portugal.

Wales have struggled in recent years and, after suffering a shock home defeat against the Lelos at the end of 2022, Warren Gatland returned to take over the coaching reins from Wayne Pivac, who was fired.

Gatland had previously coached Wales between 2008 and 2019, during which time they won three Six Nations Grand Slam titles, and they also reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2011 and 2015.

Wales still struggled despite Gatland’s return

But despite his return, Wales still struggled during this year’s Six Nations and finished in fifth position, with a win over bottom-placed Italy their only victory in the championship.

Apart from that, they lost the services of experienced players like Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Rhys Webb, who all announced their retirements after being named in Gatland’s preliminary World Cup squad.

And Wales’ situation worsened on Friday when Cory Hill, who has been playing his club rugby in Japan, became the latest player to leave Gatland’s squad to take up a contract opportunity outside of Wales.

Despite all those setbacks, Jones expects a tough challenge when the Wallabies and Wales do battle in their World Cup pool encounter in Lyon on September 24.

“They’ve had a tough Six Nations but sometimes a tough Six Nations can be almost the ideal preparation for a World Cup,” he told the BBC.

“You work out what you haven’t done well. You work out maybe some selection issues and then you go into the World Cup with a renewed focus and a renewed purpose.

“That’s the danger of Wales, they’ll get that. They’ve got one of the most experienced Welsh coaches of all time in Warren Gatland and we know he’s a very successful coach.

“He’s got a great track record at the World Cup, so we know it’s going to be a very difficult game.”

Meanwhile, former Wales wing Shane Williams has urged Gatland to look at how the Crusaders beat Fijian Drua in Saturday’s Super Rugby Pacific quarter-final and use that as a blueprint when Wales face Fiji in their World Cup opener in Bordeaux on September 10.

“Thank you, Scott Robertson and your Crusaders players for showing Wales the way to beat Fiji in their opening game at the World Cup,” wrote Williams in his column in The Rugby Paper.

“Unlike Wales in 2007, they didn’t get involved in a running battle. They played territory, turned the game into a forward slog for as long as they could, and were thoroughly committed at the breakdown.

No panic from Crusaders

“Even after they had gifted the Drua an interception try they didn’t panic. They kept things tight and won with something to spare in the end, with the forwards scoring the majority of their tries.

“The blueprint for Wales was laid out for them. Now all Gatland needs to do is get his front five ready for action and decide who he picks in his back-row to dominate the breakdown area.

“Whoever Wales pick at centre will need to be ready for 80 minutes of hard tackling and staying in shape. The Crusaders managed to frustrate all attempts at the Fijians to break up the game and create chaos with the running and off-loading.

“It wasn’t easy and it came at a high physical price as they ended with 13 players having run out of replacements.”

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Aston Villa and French youth international left-back Jordan Amavi has made a change in agent representation, with a view to a summer move, Get French Football News has learned.

Amavi, 23, was the subject of intense interest from Marseille in the January transfer window, who had a bid turned down and has been a reported long-term target for Liverpool.

The former OGC Nice man has left established French agent Christophe Mongai and joined up with up and coming agency Classico Sports Management.

As an agency, Classico Sports Management have a considerable presence in the French market, which, speculatively speaking, might suggest that that is in fact where Amavi’s future destination lies.

On Friday, Ligue 2, France’s second division, will play its last batch of the 38 chapters that constitutes the 2016/17 season. At the end of which, not three but two sides will be directly promoted to the country’s top division, with the third-placed club forced into a play-off fixture with whichever side finishes 18th in Ligue 1. In a quite extraordinary turn of events, any side currently occupying the top six places in the Ligue 2 table can win automatic promotion on Friday evening, with an enormous 30 different combinations of how the top two will finish being possible. With only three points separating the top six, literally anything could happen.

Below are the games relating to the race for promotion which you should look forward to:

Strasbourg v Bourg-Péronnas

Reims v Amiens

Sochaux v Troyes

Lens v Niort

Brest v GFCO Ajaccio

Laval v Nîmes

Strasbourg

As competition in the French top flight has strengthened, France has seen a fair share of big town-clubs falling down the football league ladder in recent years, Strasbourg being one of them. If the Alsace-based side do seal promotion on Friday, they will achieve a feat that is not as uncommon as its inherent nature might suggest: winning back-to-back promotions from National (3rd division) and then Ligue 2. Recent examples of this include Evian-Thonon Gaillard’s surge in 2010/11 and Gazelec Ajaccio’s double-promotion which saw them be a part of Ligue 1 in 2016/17. The latter club has deep connections associated with Strasbourg’s success this season, with manager Thierry Laurey and talismanic Moroccan international Khalid Boutaïb both quitting Corsica last summer to join the then newly-promoted from National side. A return to the top flight for Strasbourg would represent their first foray in the French top flight since 2008 and provide the 1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup winners with the chance to re-establish themselves as a landmark on France’s football landscape.

Amiens

The hometown of recently elected President Macron, if Strasbourg’s potential back-to-back success would be a surprise, then Amiens’ would be nothing short of a miracle. Like Laurey’s side, Amiens spent last season in the French third division and have relied on an indomitable team spirit and the tenacious midfield duo of Tanguy Ndombele and Guessouma Fofana to provide constant shocks to the Ligue 2 system. Described insultingly by French football magazine France Football as “goats” in its Ligue 2 season preview, manager Christophe Pélissier’s decision to stick the article on the dressing room wall as motivation serves to encapsulate the Amiens’ combative, gung-ho approach. A win would seal their first ever French top flight campaign so long as Troyes do not better their goal difference, but a trip to Reims, relegated just last season, represents the toughest of all the final hurdles that face the promotion-seeking pack. Their presence in Ligue 1 would certainly be a fairy-tale – there is currently only one bus that leaves the city centre for the stadium when you seek to go to an Amiens match.

ESTAC Troyes

A perennial yo-yo club, ESTAC Troyes have created a reputation for flourishing in Ligue 2 only to perform dreadfully on each opportunity that they have to rub shoulders with France’s best in Ligue 1. In possession of arguably the French second flight’s most technical player in 40-year-old attacking midfielder Benjamin Nivet, the club has the necessary motivation to return to the big time in order to eradicate a pitiful record which they established over the course of the previous Ligue 1 campaign, recording the division’s worst ever points tally: 18.

RC Lens

Lens were in fact playing their home matches at Amiens during their last successful Ligue 2 promotion campaign in 2015/16 owing to their usual ground, the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, being renovated at the time for EURO 2016. The club may be enjoying the creature comforts afforded to them by returning home but they are one of the few Ligue 2 sides this season to have actually collected more points on their travels (two, to be exact). This can perhaps be explained by their famously outstanding away fan contingent. A club that is rich with history in a town that breathes football, the return of Lens to the top flight would undoubtedly be a victory for French football. This, even though manager Alain Casanova has received plenty of criticism for his side’s rather apathetic brand of football this campaign. He has journeyman Habib Habibou to thank for a recent injection of life into his team that might well propel Lens back to the top flight after a two season-long hiatus.

Stade Brestois

Despite sitting in 5th before the start of play on Friday, Brest have been sitting top of the league for most of the season – specifically at the end of 25 of Ligue 2’s 37 rounds of fixtures thus far. They failed to pull away from the rest of the pack, losing three matches on the spin against direct promotion opponents (Amiens, Troyes and Nîmes). They play mid-table outfit Gazélec Ajaccio who in theory have nothing to play for. A win is essential, but one fears that come the end of the evening, Brest may have the biggest regrets.

Nîmes

Kicking off the 2015/16 campaign with an eight points point deduction following an unsavoury match-fixing affair, Nîmes miraculously remained in the Ligue 2 after a hard-fought relegation battle last season. At the turn of the calendar year, Nîmes were on nobody’s radar but an incredible run of fixtures has seen them lose just twice in 2017 and incredibly put them in the mix for promotion. This is a sensational story that deserves the ultimate climax – Nîmes have not finished above 8th in Ligue 2 since the turn of the century. With a trip to already relegated Laval, the odds are certainly on UNFP Ligue 2 Manager of the Year Bernard Blaquart’s men to grab three points.

In a league where the final promotion place last season was decided not by points, nor goal difference but number of goals scored, as Bob Bradley’s charges at Le Havre were denied a Ligue 1 adventure by the smallest of margins, turn your attentions on Friday night to the weird but wonderful French second tier for what is sure to be a spectacle of drastically contrasting emotions

P.B.

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