Bordeaux's relegation to the third tier of French football has been confirmed by the DNCG (National Directorate of Management Control), who have dismissed the club's appeal against their demotion.

Bordeaux – who have won Ligue 1 on six occasions, finished bottom of the top flight last season and were preparing for a first second-tier campaign since the early 1990s, only to be handed a further demotion to the Championnat National last month following a DNCG examination of their finances.

The club, who reportedly have debts close to €40million, immediately announced their intention to appeal, but the French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed their sanctions will stand on Tuesday.  

Gerard Lopez, the owner of the 2009 Ligue 1 champions, said the financial implications of a relegation below Ligue 2 would be "catastrophic" last month, adding: "With its structure and costs, this club cannot exist in National 1."

Lopez also warned the club would risk having to file for bankruptcy, which could lead to a further demotion to below France's professional football pyramid, in the event of losing their appeal.

Bordeaux could reportedly still appeal to the French Olympic Committee or look to have the decision suspended, but are nevertheless set to conduct a fire sale of first-team players in the transfer window.

New Paris Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier has pledged to end predecessor Mauricio Pochettino's practice of rotating between goalkeepers Gianluigi Donnarumma and Keylor Navas. 

Galtier was announced as PSG's new head coach on Tuesday, with the former Lille and Nice boss signing a two-year deal with the club.

The man who beat PSG to the Ligue 1 title when in charge of Lille during the 2020-21 season takes over a squad containing two world-class goalkeepers in Italy's Euro 2020 hero Donnarumma and three-time Champions League winner Navas.

Pochettino used both goalkeepers often during his one full season in charge of the Parisian giants, with Navas making 26 appearances in all competitions and Donnarumma featuring 24 times.

Donnarumma managed one clean sheet more (nine) than Navas did (eight) despite making two appearances fewer, while the two goalkeepers posted similar save percentage figures (Navas saving 75.76 per cent of shots faced compared to the Italian's 75.27 per cent).

Speaking at his unveiling, Galtier argued having a nominated first-choice shot stopper would provide greater clarity.

"I always work with a number one and a number two," he said. 

"It's easier for me and for them to know their position within the squad. I haven't met them yet, but I will do it very quickly."

PSG conceded 36 goals when winning Ligue 1 last season, the joint-fewest in the league alongside Galtier's former club Nice, who registered one more clean sheet (14) than the champions.  

Neymar has been assured he has a big part to play at Paris Saint-Germain under Christophe Galtier, but the new coach warned there will be action taken against any dissenters.

There has been recent speculation about Neymar's future at PSG, with the French club reportedly open to selling him should an acceptable bid come along.

Chelsea have been linked with a possible move for the Brazilian, who cost the French giants a world-record sum when he arrived in 2017 from Barcelona.

Galtier was confirmed as the new head coach at Parc des Princes on Tuesday, taking over from Mauricio Pochettino.

It was inevitable Galtier would be asked about his plans for Neymar, given the scrutiny the 30-year-old has been coming under, and the former Nice and Lille boss made it clear he can be important in the club's future.

"Which coach wouldn't want to have a player like him in his team?" Galtier said "I have a very precise idea of ​​what I will expect from Neymar.

"I will meet him, listen to him, but I want him to stay. For us, it's always better to have a player of such class with us."

Neymar made 22 Ligue 1 appearances last season, scoring 13 goals and adding six assists. It was the most games he has managed in a 38-game league campaign since joining PSG.

Galtier said he wanted his squad to consist of players "that want to win, that want success and want to enjoy football".

"I am not going to perform a revolution in the dressing room," he said. "I am here to listen and I know I have the support of everyone, from the board, to make decisions, and if any player, whoever it is, does not buy into the project there will be action taken."

Galtier, a surprise Ligue 1 champion with Lille in 2020-21, is taking a step up by joining a team where the expectation is that domestic dominance will be secured.

PSG desperately want to add a Champions League title, too, and a failure in Europe would likely see Galtier come under pressure.

He has the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marquinhos and Marco Verratti at his disposal in a star-packed squad.

Sergio Ramos, the veteran former Real Madrid captain, will also be hoping to be more heavily involved during his second season at PSG after an injury-disrupted first campaign.

Galtier, who said he will take a "different approach" to his usual football style owing to the strengths of his squad, insists there must be unity within the group.

"It is a privilege to have a squad with world-class players," he said. "Firstly, it is about speaking to them, and there won't be any compromises in terms of our strength as a group and the targets that we have set out. We have to have a common project without any compromises."

The second match of Day 1 in Group A action at the 2022 Concacaf W Championship in Monterrey, played on Monday at the Estadio Universitario, saw Jamaica down host nation Mexico 1-0.

Jamaica got their goal early from Khadija Shaw in the 8’ via a free kick by Deneisha Blackwood, with the ball finding Shaw and the forward scoring with a header to open the Jamaican goal count in the CWC. With this goal, Shaw ties Jody Brown for most CWC goals by a Jamaican player with four.

Mexico looked to respond and in the 15’ Diana Ordonez almost equalized the game with a header but was denied by the goalpost. 

Jamaica GK Rebecca Spencer came up with a big save in the 28’ by denying Carolina Jaramillo a goal after she tried a long-distance shot, resulting in a corner kick that the Mexican side didn’t take advantage of. 

In the 35’, after a VAR review, the referee ruled in favor of a penalty for Jamaica after Mexico’s Casandra Montero committed a handball in the area. Havana Solaun was the one who took the ball, missing the chance of extending the Jamaica advantage by sending it over the crossbar. 

They were more chances starting in the second half, as Shaw tried to surprise the Mexican front again, but was denied the 2-0 lead by the goalpost. Ordonez, in the 54’, had the equalizer again, but barely missed a header that would have been an assist by Bianca Sierra. 

Mexico kept pushing as Joseline Montoya, subbed on in the 80’, put a ball in the area but the Jamaican defense were there, ready to cover it.

With this result, Jamaica earned their first win over Mexico in a CWC match, making their overall record 1W-0D-3L.

The next opportunity for Mexico will be against Haiti, while Jamaica's next challenge will be against the United States.  

Manchester United certainly can't be accused of not supporting their new manager, Erik ten Hag, given the players they're going for in the transfer market.

Granted, that's more about how United are primarily being linked with players Ten Hag knows or has previously coached rather than them targeting a host of renowned superstars.

Whether that suggests a certain trust in Ten Hag or if it comes down to a lack of belief in the club's own scouting department is a discussion for another time, but clearly Ten Hag is being allowed to build a team in his image, and that's what many fans will have hoped for.

The first one in through the door is Tyrell Malacia, who joins from Eredivisie side Feyenoord on a four-year   contract with an option for a further season.

Netherlands international Malacia had apparently been close to joining Lyon until United came in at the last minute, but once the Red Devils' interest became apparent, there was only likely to be one destination: Old Trafford.

But what sort of player are United getting? Stats Perform takes a look…

Exit looming for Telles?

When considering the areas United needed to strengthen ahead of the new season, left-back might not have been highlighted as a major cause for concern, therefore some are likely to feel Malacia's signing isn't necessary.

But most would agree Luke Shaw endured a generally poor season, and his deputy – Alex Telles – seemingly wasn't good enough to fully dislodge the England international. Then you have Brandon Williams, who has returned from a loan spell at Norwich City but will in all likelihood be sold.

One would assume Malacia's arrival will lead to another sale at left-back as well, and that'll presumably be Telles rather than Shaw, who will be expected to get back to the level he showed in the 2020-21 season.

Shaw has responded well to competition before. In fact, his excellent 2020-21 campaign coincided with United's signing of Telles, but perhaps he took his foot off the pedal once he realised the Brazilian wasn't likely to be a long-term threat to his place.

Malacia could be.

At 22, Malacia is youthful and boasts a skillset that may make him a greater understudy – and challenger – to Shaw than Telles.

Already a Netherlands international, Malacia is quick, comfortable on the ball and had an impressive output in attack last season. Telles, on the other hand, isn't especially fast and his final-third threat relies on crosses from deep.

Full-backs performed an important function for Ten Hag's Ajax. Their underlapping runs make them potential threats in the box, while those at his disposal in Amsterdam possessed excellent technical abilities, helping the team to maintain control of possession even out wide, a little like at Manchester City.

Such a role certainly shouldn't faze Malacia considering his pace and technique.
 

A considered threat

Malacia's technical ability and speed are probably his two most obvious attributes, though neither are especially easy to prove with numbers.

Of course, it's difficult to accurately – and fairly – compare players across two hugely different competitions just using stats, but you can at least get an idea of what a player offers.

Malacia's 1.1 open-play chances created every 90 minutes in the Eredivisie last season was the 10th highest among defenders (minimum of 1,000 minutes played). That was the same as Shaw's, though the latter was obviously playing in a league generally regarded to be a higher level.

Despite that frequency not being especially remarkable, Malacia did lay on four assists, and his 6.0 expected assists (xA) was bettered by only four Eredivisie defenders.

So although he wasn't necessarily creating a huge amount of opportunities, those he did craft had an average xA value of 0.16 – of the defenders with at least 18 key passes, only Daley Blind (0.27), Noussair Mazraoui (0.19) and Yukinari Sugawara (0.17) created better chances on average.

Similarly, Malacia's xA output on a per-90-minute basis of 0.19 was higher than that of Shaw (0.14) and Telles (0.11).

Both of the xA averages mentioned for Malacia highlight – and can be partly explained by – how he attacks. He recorded 2.7 touches in the opposition's box every 90 minutes last term (fifth among Eredivisie defenders), whereas Shaw (1.1) and Telles (1.0) were far less willing to get into that area.

As such, of his 5.0 passes into the box each game, only 3.0 were crosses. Those respective figures for Shaw (5.9/5.7) and Telles (7.6/7.3) show a far greater reliance on hopeful crosses.

Again, specific coaching instructions may explain the figures of Shaw and Telles, so the data isn't suggesting any one is better than the others, but it's still easy to see why Ten Hag might feel Malacia is a good fit as one of his underlapping full-backs.

Malacia also tallied more tackle attempts (2.7), tackles won (1.8) and duels (11.0) compared to Shaw (1.1, 0.7 and 8.2) and Telles (2.4, 1.3 and 9.8).

As before, these don't necessarily mean he's a better defender because the context of the two leagues and the respective teams' playing styles make it difficult to draw such conclusions, but Malacia's figures do at least point to a certain level of tenacity off the ball.

Regardless of the numbers, it seems clear United are taking a bit of a gamble with Malacia. Although obviously talented, he is young, inexperienced and joining a team that cannot claim to have much stability.

Nothing about United over the past decade has suggested it's a club that successfully nurtures young players anymore. Even when you look at the success stories such as Marcus Rashford, he's not appeared happy for a while.

The fact Malacia has seemingly been signed upon the request of his manager – rather than a glorified accountant on the board – is undoubtedly a tick in the pros column, but only time will tell if that trust in Ten Hag is well-placed.

Mainz will push ahead with plans to face Newcastle United in a pre-season friendly despite backlash from their supporters.

Newcastle will face German clubs Mainz and 1860 Munich in Austria ahead of the 2022-23 season.

But the scheduled matches have not been welcomed by supporters of those clubs due to the identity of Newcastle's owners.

The consortium that bought Newcastle last October includes Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns 80 per cent of the club.

Saudi Arabia's human rights record is of major concern, along with its role in the war in Yemen.

But Mainz insist they cannot afford to cancel the Newcastle friendly, both because of the need to prepare for the Bundesliga season and due to contractual obligations.

"A friendly against a big English club is first of all a really good test for us," said chairman Stefan Hofmann in a statement in which Mainz confirmed they had held further talks with Newcastle and would plan to meet with fans. "It's also important for our team’s pre-season preparations.

"After weighing up our options and not having an appropriate alternative opponent of this standard available, we agreed to play this game.

"We didn't expect the reaction we got from some fans. We respect them and regret that these concerns have arisen because it's our responsibility to start the new season as one big unit together with our fans."

Mainz board member Christian Heidel added: "From a footballing perspective, we can't afford to miss out on this friendly.

"A one-sided cancellation of the fixture, as has been demanded by some fans, is not feasible, because were we to not honour our contractual obligations, this could have serious legal and economic consequences for us, and so we're going to stand by the contractual agreement."

Mainz coach Bo Svensson had already addressed the concerns, saying as reported by Bild: "On the one hand, I can understand the arguments.

"[But] whenever it comes to football, things get very inflated and become huge issues."

Referring to the PIF's shares in Disney, Svensson added: "How far are we going? Will we then also forego Disney films with our children?"

1860 coach Michael Kollner said to db24: "You always have to be a bit careful when conducting a moral discussion. I find that difficult. You can find something in everyone.

"We haven't done everything right in the past either – and teams are still playing against us in preparation.

"Newcastle was bought by someone with the money he has. I don't know if we are always entitled to evaluate things – especially in times when we have completely different issues in Europe.

"Unity looks different. I'm responsible for the sport – and I'm glad we got this test match."

Tyrell Malacia has signed for Manchester United from Feyenoord in a deal that is reportedly worth up to £15million.

The Netherlands international becomes the long-awaited first signing of the Erik ten Hag era at Old Trafford, following a slew of exits under the Dutchman.

Malacia will now join up with his countryman at United and is expected to offer competition to England defender Luke Shaw and Brazil's Alex Telles in the left-back role going forward, having signed a four-year contract with an option for a further season.

The 22-year-old was reported to be moving for a £13m (€15.1m) fee, with just shy of £2m in add-ons. Reports in the Netherlands claim Feyenoord will receive a percentage of any future sale, too.

"It's an incredible feeling to have joined Manchester United," Malacia said. "This is a new chapter for me, a new league with new team-mates and a tremendous manager leading us.

"I know from playing against his teams in the Eredivisie, the qualities that he has and what he demands of his players.

"Whilst I know that I am still young and will continue to develop, I can promise the United fans that I will leave everything on the pitch every time I pull on the red shirt.

"I'll always be thankful to Feyenoord for all they have given to me and my family.

"None of this would be possible if it wasn't for them. Now I'm ready to focus on the future with United and help my new club achieve success."

Malacia came through the Feyenoord academy, having joined the club as a nine-year-old, and broke into their senior set-up as an 18-year-old in 2017.

He was an unused substitute in their KNVB Beker and Johan Cruyff Shield wins in 2018 and featured in their Europa Conference League final loss to Roma earlier this year.

Christophe Galtier has been confirmed as the new Paris Saint-Germain head coach after Mauricio Pochettino left the Ligue 1 champions.

PSG won the league by a margin of 15 points in the 2021-22 season, but Pochettino departed on Tuesday following his failure to deliver their first Champions League title.

Galtier is the man who has been trusted to take over at PSG, strongly supported by new sporting director Luis Campos.

Campos and Galtier have worked together previously when they combined at Lille to create the team that pipped PSG to the Ligue 1 title by a point in 2020-21.

Galtier left Lille days after they won that championship, joining Nice.

But he spent only a single season on the French Riviera – finishing fifth and reaching the Coupe de France final – before leaving late last month, with Nice bringing back Lucien Favre as his replacement.

That move came as speculation persisted around Galtier's move to PSG, with Pochettino's exit anticipated since the end of last season.

Pochettino's departure was confirmed just hours before Galtier appeared alongside PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi at a news conference.

Galtier will be tasked with finally ending PSG's wait for Champions League glory, their latest failure in the competition coming in a second-leg collapse against eventual winners Real Madrid in the last 16.

He becomes the club's sixth coach since 2012.

Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed the departure of Mauricio Pochettino, with Christophe Galtier expected to be named as their new head coach later on Tuesday.

Pochettino's dismissal had long been expected, with PSG again failing to find success in the Champions League last season.

The former Tottenham manager did deliver the Ligue 1 title, but a last-16 defeat to Real Madrid in European competition continued the club's wait for continental glory.

A PSG statement only said the club had "ended their collaboration" with Pochettino, although it was expected he would be sacked with Galtier lined up by Luis Campos, the new football advisor who worked with the former Nice coach at Lille.

"The club would like to thank Mauricio Pochettino and his staff for their work and wish them all the best for the future," the statement added.

Pochettino, who spent two and a half years at PSG as a player, had been in charge since January 2021.

He won the Trophee des Champions and Coupe de France in his first season in Paris – the first major honours of his coaching career – before adding the league championship in 2021-22.

But Campos' arrival signalled a close-season rebuild, even with Kylian Mbappe remaining at the club on a new contract following interest from Real Madrid.

PSG will hold a news conference on Tuesday afternoon, with Galtier in line for the top job in the capital.

Christophe Galtier has been confirmed as the new Paris Saint-Germain head coach after Mauricio Pochettino left the Ligue 1 champions.

PSG won the league by a margin of 15 points in the 2021-22 season, but Pochettino departed on Tuesday following his failure to deliver their first Champions League title.

Galtier is the man who has been trusted to take over at PSG, strongly supported by new sporting director Luis Campos.

Campos and Galtier have worked together previously when they combined at Lille to create the team that pipped PSG to the Ligue 1 title by a point in 2020-21.

Galtier left Lille days after they won that championship, joining Nice.

But he spent only a single season on the French Riviera – finishing fifth and reaching the Coupe de France final – before leaving late last month, with Nice bringing back Lucien Favre as his replacement.

That move came as speculation persisted around Galtier's move to PSG, with Pochettino's exit anticipated since the end of last season.

Pochettino's departure was confirmed just hours before Galtier appeared alongside PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi at a news conference.

Galtier will be tasked with finally ending PSG's wait for Champions League glory, their latest failure in the competition coming in a second-leg collapse against eventual winners Real Madrid in the last 16.

He becomes the club's sixth coach since 2012.

Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed the departure of Mauricio Pochettino, with Christophe Galtier expected to be named as their new head coach later on Tuesday.

England's Lionesses can roar to glory as Sarina Wiegman's host team get their Euro 2022 campaign under way this week, says former international star Sue Smith.

The tournament gets under way when England tackle Austria at Old Trafford in Group A on Wednesday, before they face further tests against Norway in Brighton and Northern Ireland in Southampton.

England are on a remarkable run of form under former Netherlands boss Wiegman, and despite a host of formidable rivals lying in wait, look to be one of the sides to beat this time around.

Smith, a member of the Lionesses squad that finished as runners-up to Germany at Euro 2009, believes the current team have the chance to go the distance, particularly on home soil.

"[I've] got to go with England [as favourites]," the former winger told Stats Perform. "The strength and depth they have, the competition for places, the brilliant manager they've got that has the know-how to take them far.

"Yes, there's going to be pressure and expectation on them, [but] I think the nation's also going to give them that boost if they need."

Dutchwoman Wiegman, who began work as Phil Neville's permanent successor last year following Hege Riise's interim period, has gone undefeated in her first 14 games in charge, with 12 wins and two draws.

Wiegman, who is looking to make it successive European crowns after guiding her home country to success at Euro 2017, has a cut-throat edge that can aid the Lionesses, says Smith.

"I think that's that's probably what England need," she said. "They need somebody that's full of strong opinions.

"She's an absolute perfectionist. You see England winning eight [or] nine-nil, and she comes off and says she's not really happy. That's what you want as a player.

"You want to know, She's a former teacher and knows how to communicate with the players individually, collectively, as a team. We've seen tactically, she can change things, and she'll change things quickly.

"The fact that she's gone and won it at home with the Netherlands; if you're a player, and you've got a manager coming:in with that sort of experience, you'd just be like, 'Tell me what I need to do to go and win a tournament'.

"They're certainly buying into everything that she's she's putting out there."

Sue Smith is working with VoucherCodes.co.uk to launch its Women’s EURO 2022 Spending Report.

Zeki Celik has become Jose Mourinho's third signing of the transfer window at Roma, joining from Lille for a reported €7million fee.

Celik, who has signed a four-year contract with the Serie A club, was said to be of interest to Mourinho when he was Tottenham coach.

He follows midfielder Nemanja Matic and goalkeeper Mile Svilar – both of whom were free transfers – to Rome.

"For me, it is an honour to play for such an important club," Celik said. "I have great ambitions and I want to contribute to the success of the team.

"I feel ready and focused. I never give up, and you will always see me fighting on the pitch."

Celik spent four seasons at Lille, winning the Ligue 1 title in 2020-21.

However, that successful team has been broken up over the past 12 months, with Mike Maignan, Boubakary Soumare, Jonathan Ikone, Sven Botman and now Celik all moved on.

Renato Sanches is thought to be a transfer target for both Paris Saint-Germain and Milan.

Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave Manchester United and is willing to make some allowances to secure the move.

Reports of Ronaldo's transfer request emerged over the weekend, although United are said to be holding firm in their desire to keep the superstar.

That has not stopped the rumours around a potential destination for the Portugal great, though, and he is doing all he can to get the move he wants.

TOP STORY – RONALDO WILLING TO TAKE PAY CUT

The Independent reports Ronaldo is willing to take a "considerable" pay cut in order to move to a Champions League contender.

The forward's desire to win another European crown was widely cited as key to his decision to push for a departure from United, and the report suggests the player is hopeful a reduced salary could entice leading clubs.

Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, who employ great rival Lionel Messi, are listed as potential suitors.

The Athletic also again reports Chelsea's interest following talk of a meeting between Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes and new Stamford Bridge owner Todd Boehly earlier in the close-season.

The Sun says Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel is reluctant to agree to such a transfer, though, while AS claims Mendes has also met with Barcelona president Joan Laporta.

ROUND-UP

– Corriere dello Sport claims Bayern Munich are looking to bring in Napoli striker Victor Osimhen for a fee in the vicinity of €100million if Robert Lewandowski is to leave.

– According to Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham have agreed to sign 27-year-old Barcelona centre-back Clement Lenglet for a fee of £17.2m.

– The Sun is reporting Arsenal have made a £47m bid for 27-year-old Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

– After loaning Romelu Lukaku to Inter, Chelsea are also weighing up a potential loan move for Hakim Ziyech to Milan, according to The Athletic.

– The Mirror claims United representatives have met with Ajax to discuss a £39.6m offer for defender Lisandro Martinez.

Austin FC held on for a hard-fought 3-2 victory against the Colorado Rapids away from home, surviving the final 15 minutes with 10 men red card.

The win required a major comeback after Lalas Abubakar put the Rapids ahead in the 19th minute and the hosts then doubled their advantage three minutes later with a Jonathan Lewis strike.

Austin pegged one back in the 28th minute when Ethan Finlay struck from just inside the area, and the sides went in all square at 2-2 when Sebastian Driussi equalised in first-half stoppage time.

The visitors thought they had completed their comeback in the 52nd minute, only for Maximiliano Urruti's goal to be ruled out, but that decision merely delayed the celebrations as Urriti scored again seven minutes later.

The turnaround continued a remarkable trend for Austin, who have now won two and drawn two of the five games in which they have trailed my multiple goals this season, losing just once.

They held out this time despite Kipp Keller's dismissal for a second yellow card in the 75th minute, after which Colorado dominated 81.4 per cent of the possession and hit the post through Michael Barrios but could not find an equaliser.

Elsewhere, the LA Galaxy pummelled CF Montreal 4-0 in an effective counter-attacking display.

Javier Hernandez opened the scoring for the Galaxy, Dejan Jovelic doubled the lead from the penalty spot, and Rayan Raveloson grabbed a second-half brace to complete the rout.

Inter Miami left it late to draw with FC Dallas, netting an 88th-minute equaliser through substitute Leonardo Campana, and there was also late drama in DC United's highly entertaining 5-3 win at Orlando City.

A hat-trick from Taxiarchis Fountas had DC 3-0 up early in the second half, yet an Orlando recovery meant Alexandre Pato's penalty cut that lead to 4-3 with 10 minutes to play.

Rather than collapse, though, United made sure of victory with a 96th-minute goal from Nigel Robertha.