Paris Saint-Germain may be overwhelming favourites to win the Ligue 1 title once more but, as our man in the French capital discovers ahead of the start of the 2014/15 campaign this weekend, there have been plenty of other changes since the end of last season.CoachesThe arrival of Leonardo Jardim in place of Claudio Ranieri at AS Monaco FC is perhaps the most high-profile appointment. However, two former players with exemplary pedigrees – Willy Sagnol (FC Girondins de Bordeaux) and Claude Makélélé (SC Bastia) – are also set to begin life in a top-flight dugout. Revered Argentinian trainer Marcelo Bielsa, meanwhile, has been charged with restoring Olympique de Marseille to the summit. Olympique Lyonnais have turned to old boy Hubert Fournier to succeed
Football Update
Dutch get De Jong, Vlaar, Fer boosts
Nigel de Jong and Ron Vlaar gave Netherlands a sizeable boost on by returning to training on the eve of their 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ semi-final against Argentina in Sao Paulo. De Jong, the 29-year-old AC Milan midfielder, has not played since tearing a groin muscle during his side's 2-1 victory over Mexico in the last 16 on 29 June. Dutch medical staff initially predicted that he would be sidelined for between two and four weeks, but he completed the warm-up at Sao Paulo's Estadio do Pacaembu in part of the session open to the media. Aston Villa defender Vlaar, 29, was also present, despite reports he was a serious doubt for Wednesday's game with a knee complaint. Leroy
Wolfsburg conclude business with Bernauer buy
VfL Wolfsburg have lured Switzerland midfielder Vanessa Bernauer from domestic rivals BV Cloppenburg, "finalising their squad ahead of next season" as a result.The 26-year-old FC Zürich Frauen youth product spent three seasons in Spain on the books of Levante UD before joining Cloppenburg last year. "We're very happy to welcome another player with Bundesliga and international experience," said Wolfsburg boss Ralf Kellermann. "She has proved her quality at Cloppenburg and I'm convinced she can go to the next level with us."Bernauer, a Swiss international with 20 caps, added: "There is hardly a better place to play women's football. I'm looking forward to being part of the team and helping them to more success." The UEFA Women's Champions League holders have previously signed defender
UEFA EURO 2016 hospitality packages on sale
With two years to go until the finals kick off the first hospitality packages for UEFA EURO 2016 have gone on sale, with "unprecedented interest" already expressed for the finals in France.Ticket portalAfter the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA European Championship is the third most popular sporting event in the world and there is exceptional demand for hospitality packages according to Jacques Lambert, president of EURO 2016 SAS."Hospitality programmes during competitions such as UEFA EURO 2016 are unique experiences that allow connections to be made which last well beyond the event itself," he explained. "They are a tool that companies can use to improve their business. It is a measure of the attractiveness of the event, and
Serbia win as Gibraltar earn Estonia draw
Serbia 2-1 JamaicaSerbia extended their unbeaten run to seven matches as they held off a resurgent Jamaica team in New Jersey, United States. Goals from Dušan Tadić and Aleksandar Kolarov gave Ljubinko Drulović's side a 2-0 lead inside 22 minutes, and only fine goalkeeping from Andre Phillips before half-time denied them a third. Jamaica improved after the restart, with Michael Seaton halving the deficit, but Serbia played out the victory.FYROM 0-2 CameroonPlaying without seven regular starters, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia were outplayed by FIFA World Cup hopefuls Cameroon in Kufstein, Austria. Volker Finke's side missed a host of excellent chances before Pierre Webó finally broke the deadlock with a superb bicycle kick after the interval. Eric Choupo-Moting, who
Diop dances to defy racism
ESPN FC: No room for racismFC's Shaka Hislop gives his thoughts on Dani Alves' reaction to the racist act aimed at the player against Villarreal.ESPN FC: No room for racismLevante midfielder Papakouli Diop did a brief dance after appearing to be subjected to monkey gestures from a section of Atletico Madrid fans during Sunday's match. APPapakouli Diop danced after claiming he was racially abused by Atletico fans.The incident marks the second week running that a racism row has erupted in Spain after Barcelona's Dani Alves took a bite out of a banana thrown at him from the crowd on April 27. Diop, a Senegal international, said he was verbally abused throughout the game and decided to dance like a monkey in front
Luiz: Chelsea season a failure without Prem title
Chelsea's David Luiz has admitted his side's season will be declared a failure unless they pull off a miraculous recovery and win the Premier League title. PA PhotosDavid Luiz says Chelsea players have given it their all this season. • Lythell: Out with a whimper Chelsea need Manchester City and Liverpool to slip up in their final games to give the Blues a chance of getting back into title contention, with Luiz suggesting a season without silverware is unacceptable for the west London club. Luiz was part of the Chelsea starting line-up that lost the Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, with his summation of the campaign pieced together by Jose Mourinho in his first season back at Stamford Bridge leaving