Ian Hawkey
European football correspondent
Once upon a time, France's major football forces were, logically enough, the big clubs from the two biggest cities. Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Marseille still duke it out against one another over who has the larger fan base and the greater prestige, and they still produce the most intense domestic fixture. But over the next week or so, PSG and Marseille find themselves peculiarly united: as underdogs.
Tonight, at the Stade de France, PSG take on Lille in the Cup final. The Parisians might count on a majority support among the neutrals, because of locale - although Lille is barely an hour away by TGV train - but they are up against the best side in France. Just ask Marseille. Lille lead Marseille, the defending Ligue 1 champions, by four points in the table, with three fixtures to play.
Marseille can close that gap to a point with victory tomorrow night at Lorient, but Lille, who have a better goal difference, will play their match in hand next Wednesday.
Le Championnat is a more refreshing, more captivating, more diverse league than it used to be. PSG and Marseille spent most of the Noughties cursing the smooth, ambitious organisation of Olympique Lyonnais, who collected seven successive championships from 2002 to 2008.
Bordeaux, under Laurent Blanc, now the France national coach, broke the apparent stranglehold of Lyon in 2009. Marseille then spied a new order, put behind them their years of internal disorder - changing owners, firing managers and, in the 1990s, punishments for corruption - and won their first title for 19 years last May. They looked to have the personnel and the coach, Didier Deschamps, to retain it. Then along came Lille.
It is 57 years since the northern club last won a French title, but under coach Rudi Garcia they play with an enterprise and confidence that is not typical of upstarts.
This term, Garcia's trick has been to get the best out of his front three, Gervinho, Moussa Sow and Eden Hazard. Lille's good scouting network meant that, as teenagers, two of the finest creative and attacking players from Africa and western Europe joined them young.
And this has been a season of blossoming for Gervinho, 23, the Ivorian; as it has for Hazard, the 20-year-old Belgian, whose desirability as a transfer target for clubs in England and Spain grows almost daily.
Gervinho has scored 14 goals this season, Hazard seven, but the chief contributor to Lille has been Moussa Sow, who arrived on a free transfer from Rennes - themselves title-contenders until the end of March - last summer. Sow has transformed from journeyman striker into, at 25, a lethal finisher and Ligue 1's top scorer, with 21 goals.
Sow is a Senegal international who was born in France and did his apprenticeship in the French Federation's academy system, which makes him a news maker right now.
His background as a dual-national means he is a ready example of why the Federation have become concerned to restrict the numbers of players in their academies who might later opt to represent countries other than France. This issue ignited controversy last month after senior Federation bosses were secretly recorded discussing unofficial quotas that would evaluate youth players according to their racial origins.
But the stark fact is the Sow of Rennes was never of interest to the senior France national squad. And Lille, like most French clubs, have several dual-nationals on the staff. They include Rio Mavuba, the industrious central midfielder whose father went to the 1974 World Cup with Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mavubao was born at sea after his pregnant mother left her native Angola by boat during the war there.
He was a French international in his teens, and his Lille performances have recommended him again to Blanc. The central defender Adil Rami, who turned down several approaches to represent Morocco, has chosen to play for France, and thrived with Les Bleus.
Rami, recovering from injury, is a doubtful starter for today's Cup final, which would be a loss for Garcia. But what Lille have shown this season is a surprising strength in depth. The campaign has seemed a long one, but they look like a squad with enough fuel in the tank for at least one half of their attempted double.
sports@thenational.ae
Fixtures
Tomorrow
Arles v Toulouse 7pm
Monaco v Lens 7pm
Nancy v Nice 7pm
Caen v Montpellier 7pm
St Etienne v Rennes 7pm
Valenciennes v Auxerre 7pm
Lorient v Marseille 11pm
Monday
Brest v Lyon 11pm
Wednesday
Bordeaux v PSG 9pm
Lille v Sochaux 9pm
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Prophets of Rage
(Fantasy Records)
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Series information
Pakistan v Dubai
First Test, Dubai International Stadium
Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11
Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20
Play starts at 10am each day
Teams
Pakistan
1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza
Australia
1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Major honours
ARSENAL
BARCELONA
- La Liga - 2013
- Copa del Rey - 2012
- Fifa Club World Cup - 2011
CHELSEA
- Premier League - 2015, 2017
- FA Cup - 2018
- League Cup - 2015
SPAIN
- World Cup - 2010
- European Championship - 2008, 2012
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
More on animal trafficking
PRESIDENTS CUP
Draw for Presidents Cup fourball matches on Thursday (Internationals first mention). All times UAE:
02.32am (Thursday): Marc Leishman/Joaquin Niemann v Tiger Woods/Justin Thomas
02.47am (Thursday): Adam Hadwin/Im Sung-jae v Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay
03.02am (Thursday): Adam Scott/An Byeong-hun v Bryson DeChambeau/Tony Finau
03.17am (Thursday): Hideki Matsuyama/CT Pan v Webb Simpson/Patrick Reed
03.32am (Thursday): Abraham Ancer/Louis Oosthuizen v Dustin Johnson/Gary Woodland
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206-cylinder%203-litre%2C%20with%20petrol%20and%20diesel%20variants%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20286hp%20(petrol)%2C%20249hp%20(diesel)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E450Nm%20(petrol)%2C%20550Nm%20(diesel)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EStarting%20at%20%2469%2C800%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 0 Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 55')
Man of the Match Allan (Everton)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20OneOrder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tamer%20Amer%20and%20Karim%20Maurice%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cairo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E82%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Series%20A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
Super%20Mario%20Bros%20Wonder
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%20EPD%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%20Switch%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
The years Ramadan fell in May