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Scotsman
3 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
'Annoying': PSG can stop France's Champions League rot and draw level with Celtic
Marseille's tarnished triumph remains solitary title for pioneering nation - but that could change Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Here's a Saturday morning puzzler for you: What do Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Feyenoord, Olympique Marseille, Aston Villa, PSV Eindhoven, Hamburg, Red Star Belgrade, Steaua Bucharest and Celtic all have in common? Admittedly, it's a question that may need amended slightly later this evening. As it stands, though, these are the ten teams that have won European football's biggest club competition just once, with seven of them, including Celtic, doing so when it was known as the European Cup. Only three – Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund and Marseille – joined this once-only club since the Champions League was rebranded in 1992. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A fourth may join them this evening. If Paris St-Germain do lift the trophy against Internazionale, it's hard to see this coming team of Europe remaining part of the one-time-only club for too long. Mark you, they said that in 1993, when Marseille finally broke France's duck by winning the Champions League in the inaugural season of the revamped tournament, as Rangers know to their cost. Marseille players celebrate their victory after defeating AC Milan 1-0 in the final of the European Champions Cup, on May 26, 1993 in Munich. | AFP via Getty Images Owner Bernard Tapie's comments afterwards do seem a little suspicious now. 'At last a French victory,' he said. 'I expected it, I was very confident before the match…' Of course, the club – and Tapie, who died in 2021– later became embroiled in a match-fixing controversy. Just days after the victory in Munich, where tonight's final will also be played, accusations emerged that Marseille had tried to bribe Valenciennes in a league match shortly before they faced Milan. They were later stripped of the league title they won that year and relegated as further punishment the following season. Although denied the right to defend the trophy the following year by Uefa, the Champions League title remains intact on their honours board. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad France and Scotland in the same boat Indeed, if you visit the club website and click on trophies, the first picture that comes up is of Didier Deschamps lifting the famous big-eared cup in the air. A goal from defender Basile Boli proved the difference that night; the former Rangers player later described it as 'a header for eternity'. Tainted or otherwise, this remains France's only European Cup success to date. In fact, you cold boil the quiz question in the opening paragraph down further. What does France have in common with Scotland, Romania and Serbia, or at least the former Yugoslavia? They are the nations with just a sole European Cup to their name – won, respectively, by Celtic, Steaua Bucharest and Partizan Belgrade. While it's something to celebrate in the case of Scotland (population 5.5 million), Romania (population 19 million) and Serbia (population 6.5 million), it's a source of national shame for France (population 69 million). It's particularly embarrassing given the country conceived the competition – or at least their leading sports newspaper, L'Equipe, did. Journalist Gabriel Hanot came up with the blueprint for a European club competition in December 1954 and shortly afterwards his colleague Jacques de Ryswick wrote an article outlining the idea for such a tournament involving champions of each country and inviting clubs to discuss the proposal. Reims came close to defeating Real Madrid in the 1950s. | AFP via Getty Images Just over a year later, Hibs were contesting a semi-final second leg against French club Stade de Reims in front of 50,000 under the new floodlights at Easter Road. Afterwards, in a speech at a post-match banquet attended by both teams and match officials, SFA secretary George Graham, who was also a member of the European committee, explained how the competition was first suggested by a French newspaper. He added that despite initial criticism and scepticism (as well as some controversy - Aberdeen, Scotland's champions, were overlooked in favour of Hibs), the European Cup had already proved a success. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Graham hoped it would be 'the pattern for the future'. It has certainly proved that even if the format has undergone several changes in the eight decades since. The tournament's somewhat amateurish origins are summed up by English referee Arthur E. Ellis, who was handed the Hibs v Reims tie in Edinburgh, bringing his brother Frank with him to run one of the lines. Ellis recorded this in a column for his local newspaper the Halifax Evening Courier, where he also provided some eyebrow-raising details about his eve-of-match activities after being given the privilege of refereeing the first-ever European Cup final a few weeks later. Some Parisian frolicking 'Visiting Paris is always a pleasant experience for me because I have come to know so many of its football officials,' he writes. 'We are usually taken around nightclubs and also to see one of the typical French shows.' This visit was no exception, the show he says he saw at the Mayol Theatre 'certainly wouldn't have passed the Halifax Watch Committee'. Ellis continues: 'There were 42 scenes in the show and 34 of these consisted of girls removing their clothing very artistically.' Seated a few pews away, notes Ellis, was the French star Maurice Chevalier, then in his mid-60s. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As for the game itself, at Parc des Princes, one wonders what might have happened had Ellis not disallowed the goal that would have put Reims 3-0 up on this Wednesday evening in June. Could Real Madrid have come back from that? Inspired by Alfredo di Stefano, they had drawn level at 2-2 by half time. With the BBC taking live coverage of only the second half, viewers saw Real put paid to French hopes of winning the first ever tournament in Paris. The Spanish club alone have since won the trophy another 14 times while France have mustered a single, slightly dubious victory. Meanwhile, proud old Reims, who contested two of the first four finals, were relegated from Ligue 1 on Thursday night having lost last weekend's French Cup final to …..Paris Saint-Germain, who now have their sights on a quadruple. PSG won the Coupe de France last week. | AFP via Getty Images 'It is quite…..annoying for France,' accepts Gilles Rousset, the former Hearts goalkeeper who won two international caps, when considering this tale of consistent under achievement by French clubs in Europe full stop. Standing at just two titles (PSG won the Cup-Winners' Cup in 1996) in 70 years, it's the tread of failure left in the European Cup/Champions League that smarts most. 'Obviously France is a big country in terms of football,' he continues. 'But not in terms of clubs. We do not have a tradition of big European clubs.' He mentions St Etienne, who, like Reims, have just been relegated from France's top flight. Les Verts were winning hearts, if not European Cups, before PSG were even formed. In 1976 Dominique Rocheteau et al were beaten in a memorable final at Hampden by Bayern Munich, a game which the young Rousset, then just 12-years-old, can remember watching at home in the south of France, where he grew up. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It was the night the legend of the square posts was born – St Etienne contend that if the Hampden goal frame been a more conventional round shape, then they would have been European champions. They saw a shot and a header hit the woodwork and bounce out rather than in. It is one of 15 European finals in which a French side has finished runners-up, with St Etienne perhaps the most celebrated of the losing finalists. French football 'cannot attract big names' 'It is quite curious,' continues Rousset, who is now assistant manager of the Luxembourg national team. 'We have only won one European Cup. One reason is the French clubs are not very strong financially. That is a big factor now. The taxes in France are very high. We cannot attract big names. Only PSG can attract big names. They spend a fortune on players, a fortune on salaries and a fortune on signing-on fees. It cost them fortunes but they are backed by Qatar. When you can have Neymar, Messi and Mbappe in the team at the same time, the proves you are very strong financially.' But even then, PSG came up short in the Champions League. Neymar and Mbappe were involved when they lost in the final to Bayern Munich behind closed doors in 2020. Messi was recruited with the principal aim of winning the competition. However, PSG didn't make it beyond the last 16. It's why tonight feels so significant though rather like in Scotland if Rangers or Celtic were in the Champions League final, not everyone in France is necessarily wishing them well. 'PSG is a different case in France,' says Rousset, now 61. 'They are not really loved by the people….because it is Paris. And Paris is always not well regarded by the rest of the country, because it is the capital, they think they are better people…..Not just in football, in life. They are not loved in the rest of the country. And in terms of football, PSG are not very well loved because they have money from a different county. But they, of course, can do what they want.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad St Etienne goalkeeper Yvan Curkovic stops the ball on the line during the 1976 European Cup final against Bayern Munich at Hampden. | SNS Group 0141 221 3602 As Rousset points out, they have been playing very good football. Admiration, if not love, has been earned on the pitch thanks to dazzling displays from a young and hungry team including 20-year-old Desire Doue and inspirational winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. They might even be the neutrals' choice this evening. 'They are playing collective football, rather than the individual football with Messi, Neymar and Mbappe,' says Rousset, who can remember very well the last and only time a French club side won the European crown, because he joined them shortly afterwards as cover for Fabien Barthez. 'At that time, he signed all the best French players,' explains Rousset. 'And at that time there were not a lot of French players in other leagues. Now you have French players all over the place. He signed the best French players, like Franck Sauzee, Basile Boli, Papin…players like that. You were only allowed three foreigners. You had to sign the best French players and that is what he did.' Tapie's charisma 'He', of course, is Tapie, the businessman-politician who pushed the envelope at Marseille in more ways than one. 'He was a very charismatic guy,' says Rousset. 'He knew how to speak to players. I know, because when I was at Marseille he was the chairman. It was fantastic to be one of his players. Sometimes he played fast and loose – he paid the players of the other side to let Marseille win. They did not need that. They were good enough. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We were punished," he adds. "We were not allowed to play in Europe. We should have played in the Champions League, in the Intercontinental Cup, in everything! But we played in absolutely nothing. There was a big money problem. They sold Marcel Desailly, they sold (Alen) Boksic, we were relegated at the end of the year. I had to go myself as well.' He can now laugh now. The day after he signed, Marseille's world imploded. 'All the bad stories starting coming out, evidence proving what had gone on," he recalls. French goalkeeper Gilles Rousset during his time at Hearts. | Getty Images 'But it was a good year. Marseille is something really, really special. Marseille is a club like no other. Their fans are absolutely mad. I watched Sunderland last week, it's probably the same spirit. The madness when Sunderland got promoted. It was fantastic. I loved that.' He has no regrets. 'When Marseille come to you and say would you like to join, you say, 'Yes, of course!' Because they were the best team in Europe. Imagine if Liverpool ask you to come now? Of course I want to come.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It seems notable that he doesn't use PSG to illustrate this point - many believe they are the best team in Europe, and they will finally prove it in Munich (after all, they beat Liverpool en route). Allez PSG Despite his connection to Marseille, Rousset would still like PSG to win, for the sake of France as much as anything and because of his friends, such as former Hearts teammate Vincent Guerin, who played for the club. Rousset did not support a team growing up – 'my favourite club are Hearts!' he says – so he is not as conflicted as some might be in his native land.
The 42
4 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
'It was good because you got to know everyone, but it wasn't really touring'
RONAN KELLEHER SAYS his forthcoming trip to Australia with the British & Irish Lions will have a fresh feel to it. Despite only making his Ireland senior debut in February of the previous year, Kelleher joined the Lions for a pre-season training camp that took place in Jersey ahead of their Tour of South Africa in 2021. This was to provide cover for hookers Jamie George and Luke Cowan-Dickie (who had club commitments to contend with) and while the Dubliner wasn't on the touring squad at that time, he was officially added to the Lions set-up on 14 July of that year. Yet that Tour (on which Kelleher didn't see any game time) was played in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and a number of restrictions were imposed as a result – including the absence of spectators for their three Test matches against the Springboks. Advertisement Although he still made the most of his time in the squad, Kelleher is looking forward to sampling the full Lions experience in Australia. 'There was no fans, so it was a very different tour. That kind of had its pros and cons. A pro was probably that you got to know everyone pretty well, because you kind of had to. You were obviously in each other's space 24/7. I was out there for, whatever it was, four weeks plus the Jersey training camp,' Kelleher said at a Leinster media briefing on Monday. 'In that regard it was good because you got to know everyone, but it wasn't really touring. I think it's going to be an unbelievable experience. People who have talked to us, who have been on previous Lions tours, have said it has been brilliant. Some of the highlights of their lives. Please God, all going well, it will be a good tour.' After playing some part in the past three deciders, Kelleher found himself in the unfamiliar position of being idle when Bordeaux Begles and Northampton Saints faced off in the latest European Champions Cup final last Saturday. Despite the disappointment of that last-four defeat at the hands of Northampton, there was one man Kelleher was pleased for on the weekend just gone. Bordeaux's attack specialist Noel McNamara was head coach of the Ireland U20s when Kelleher featured for them in 2018 and the former St Michael's College student was effusive in his praise of the Clare native. 'A legend. He has obviously done a great job, he's a great fella. I'm happy for him. As disappointed as I am it wasn't us, you're glad when it is one of your own gets a chance. I'm absolutely delighted for Noel and he has obviously done a fantastic job, even going off to the Sharks before that. He obviously did a great job with them as well. He's brilliant.' Whereas McNamara and Bordeaux will be hoping to follow up their Champions Cup triumph by getting their hands on the Top 14 trophy in France, Kelleher and Leinster are aiming to achieve their own success in the United Rugby Championship in the coming weeks. The first obstacle the eastern province have to overcome in their bid for URC glory is a quarter-final tie against Scarlets at the Aviva Stadium tomorrow afternoon (kick-off 3pm). Kelleher was in the starting line-up when Leinster lost to the Welsh region in a regular season game at Parc y Scarlets on 26 April and even though the Blues weren't at full strength on that occasion, Kelleher is expecting a similar challenge from the Llanelli-based outfit in their latest duel. 'Obviously off the back of it they got into the play-offs and I thought they were really good on the day. I thought we obviously were poor in parts as well, but we obviously know how much of a threat that they can cause. Having played in it, you obviously get it first hand,' Kelleher added. 'We took a lot of learnings from that game. What we did wrong, what we need to get right the next day. I think that is going to be a massive challenge this weekend, but it had also been a massive focus for us last week. Because obviously we had the down week not playing in that game [Champions Cup final] and this week now going ahead.'
SowetanLIVE
6 days ago
- Sport
- SowetanLIVE
Etzebeth's return after concussion concerns a boost for Sharks, Boks
Forward Eben Etzebeth's return from injury comes at the perfect time for club and country with the Sharks competing in this weekend's United Rugby Championship quarterfinals and the Springboks embarking on a programme of 13 Tests this year. Etzebeth played his first full match in five months when the Sharks beat Scarlets two weeks ago to secure a top-four place in the URC regular season standings and a home game against Munster in the last eight in Durban on Saturday. There had been concerns about the 33-year-old's playing future when he was ruled out after suffering concussion in a win over Exeter Chiefs in the European Champions Cup in early December.
TimesLIVE
6 days ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Etzebeth's return after concussion concerns a boost for Sharks, Boks
Forward Eben Etzebeth's return from injury comes at the perfect time for club and country with the Sharks competing in this weekend's United Rugby Championship quarterfinals and the Springboks embarking on a programme of 13 Tests this year. Etzebeth played his first full match in five months when the Sharks beat Scarlets two weeks ago to secure a top-four place in the URC regular season standings and a home game against Munster in the last eight in Durban on Saturday. There had been concerns about the 33-year-old's playing future when he was ruled out after suffering concussion in a win over Exeter Chiefs in the European Champions Cup in early December. However, South Africa's most-capped international said his body was rested and fresh. 'It was obviously frustrating with the concussion,' he said in the build-up to the clash against Munster. 'There's not really a timeline on it, it's all about your symptoms and how you respond to certain treatments. So I'd think, 'Maybe I'll be back in a week's time', and then it's a bit longer.' 'And then I picked up a hamstring [injury] and had to sit out a bit more.' That injury came at a training camp with the Springboks and meant Etzebeth only made a return in mid-April with a handful of substitute appearances. There was more concern when a knock to his knee saw him go off after 28 minutes against the Ospreys at the start of the month but he made a quick recovery to play a full game on May 17. 'It was good to get that first 80 minutes against Scarlets under the belt,' he added. 'It's good when you play 20 here or 60 there, but when you finally get a full game, you really feel like you're back in the mix.' His return will come as a boost to Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus, who plans to use matches in July against Italy and Georgia to blood younger players alongside the likes of double World Cup winner Etzebeth.
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Etzebeth back after concussion concerns in boost for Sharks, Springboks
DURBAN - South Africa forward Eben Etzebeth is back from injury at the perfect time for club and country with the Sharks competing in this weekend's United Rugby Championship quarter-finals and the Springboks ready to embark on a programme of 13 tests this year. Etzebeth played his first full match in five months when the Sharks beat Scarlets two weeks ago to secure a top-four place in the URC regular season standings and a home game against Munster in the last eight in Durban on Saturday. There had been concerns about the 33-year-old's playing future when he was ruled out after suffering concussion in a win over Exeter Chiefs in the European Champions Cup in early December. However, South Africa's most capped international said his body was rested and fresh. 'It was obviously frustrating with the concussion," he told reporters in the build-up to the clash against Munster. "There's not really a timeline on it, it's all about your symptoms and how you respond to certain treatments. So I'd think, 'maybe I'll be back in a week's time' and then it's a bit longer,' 'And then I picked up a hamstring (injury) and had to sit out a bit more.' That injury came at a training camp with the Springboks and meant Etzebeth only made a return in mid-April with a handful of substitute appearances. There was more concern when a knock to his knee saw him go off after 28 minutes against the Ospreys at the start of the month but he made a quick recovery to play a full game on May 17. 'It was good to get that first 80 minutes against Scarlets under the belt,' he added. 'It's good when you play 20 here or 60 there, but when you finally get a full game, you really feel like you're back in the mix,' Etzebeth added. His return will come as a boost to Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus, who plans to use matches in July against Italy and Georgia to blood younger players alongside the likes of double-World Cup winner Etzebeth. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
