Former coach’s conduct is said to be the tip of the iceberg and Fifa continues to investigate matters related to abuse It was at a press conference to announce Gabon’s squad for an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Burundi in August 2018 that Pierre-Alain Mounguengui admitted Gabonese football had a problem. After shocking revelations made by Shiva “Star” Nzigou – a former striker who played for the French club Nantes and won 24 caps – that a network of paedophiles had been operating in the country for more than two decades, the president of the Gabon football association (Fegafoot) since 2014 felt obliged to comment. “Before Shiva Star Nzigou’s statements, we knew that in Gabon there were similar signs and other indications,” Mounguengui said. “In the past, without naming names, we had people in certain clubs and sports venues who were hired to coach young people, but the education of a child begins at the grassroots. If they are deformed at the root, it is sometimes difficult to straighten them out. If we can have adults [coaches] of good moral character, I think it’s possible to stem this phenomenon.” Continue reading...

Olmo scores winner early in second half against MallorcaPSG held 1-1 by Nantes but retain unbeaten run Barcelona’s Dani Olmo scored inside the first minute of the second half to earn a hard-fought 1-0 home win against Mallorca, extending their lead in La Liga over Real Madrid at the top of the table to seven points with five games to go. Barça dominated proceedings despite coach Hansi Flick deciding to rest several key starters ahead of Saturday’s Copa del Rey final against bitter rivals Real, but Mallorca goalkeeper Leo Román put on a show between the posts to keep them at bay. Continue reading...

The squad should be challenging for Europe. Instead, they are drifting towards a relegation battle By Eric Devin for Get French Football News There has been a trend towards younger, or at least more progressive, managers in France of late, and largely to good effect. The football played by Will Still, Luka Elsner and Liam Rosenior is innovative, modern and genuinely thrilling to watch. Older managers are also making their mark. Franck Haise is doing much the same at Nice as he did at Lens, and more recent arrivals Adi Hütter and Roberto De Zerbi have Monaco and Marseille playing some fine football as well. Antoine Kombouaré and Jean-Louis Gasset are still stalking the sidelines at Nantes and Montpellier, respectively, but the era of apoplectic warhorse tracksuit managers seems to be well and truly gone in France. René Girard, Frédéric Antonetti, Michel der Zakarian are all out of a job in the top flight, and Olivier Dall’Oglio’s departure from Saint-Étienne seems to be working well for the club, who have looked far more cohesive under Eirik Horneland. Continue reading...