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Beckham to PSG: The view from France

To say David Beckham's move to French club Paris Saint-Germain has caused a little bit of a stir in France, would certainly be an understatement. With the story dominating most news channels and websites on Thursday The Local takes a look at the reaction.

Published: 31 January 2013 17:17 CET

Media firestorm

“Beckham at PSG…confirmed!”, said RMC Sport, while broadsheet Le Monde responded more soberly, declaring “Beckham signed by PSG (again)”, in reference to the fact Beckham was supposed to have signed for PSG this time last year, before he pulled the plug at the last minute.

Le Figaro talked money, heralding “PSG’s great marketing coup,” while most French media outlets hurried to post “first images” of Beckham departing a Paris hospital.

Website 20 Minutes even poses the question “Can Beckham save the French league 1” noting that despite the superstar's arrival, five French international players left France this winter to ply their trade abroad.

French football responds

French sporting daily L’Equipe got straight to business, asking readers whether Beckham’s presence at PSG would be a boost to their chances of winning the French domestic league, Ligue 1. The verdict – 43% say yes, 57% say no.

Former national team manager Raymond Domenech stood out for his under-statement, when asked for his take by Eurosport.  “I don’t know. I’m not up to date.” Domenech, French boss until a disastrous World Cup performance in 2010, was commentating on women’s tennis at the time.

By contrast, current coach of Les Bleus, Didier Deschamps, was slightly more forthcoming. “[Beckham] is a personality who goes beyond the framework of football, a bit like [PSG star striker] Zlatan Ibrahimovic. These are players who can give [French football] Ligue 1 greater visibility abroad. It’s a good thing for Ligue 1.”

Toulouse player Adil Hermach, who could come up against Beckham when his team plays PSG at the weekend was not that impressed.

“I am not going to go easy on him and I won't be asking how Victoria is,” Hermach told 20 Minutes.

Social networks explode

This afternoon, Beckham published a photo of himself on his Facebook page, sitting on a plane to the French capital. Within two hours it had these staggering stats attached to it:

Two tweets that perfectly capture the two different strands of online opinion on the move:

Finally, controversial English midfielder Joey Barton, who currently plays for Olympique Marseille, gave his compatriot a welcome (of sorts):

Fans react

Beckham's move to the French club has obviously caused a stir among PSG's fans, with most welcoming the move.

“Beckham will bring his winning mentality and professionalism to the team,” PSG fan Nicolas Lartigue told The Local. “He won't play every game but his crosses and free kicks will be a real bonus.

“Ok he's a bit of a grandpa in the world of football but he will be brilliant for the PSG brand, especially in Asia”.

Fan message boards also went into over drive.

“Beckham will play, but only for the last ten minutes. He's been bought just to sell shirts, that's for sure,” said one fan on Forum PSG.

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CRIME

Spain women’s World Cup players demand more heads roll as Rubiales in court

The crisis within Spanish football deepened Friday as the women's World Cup winners demanded more heads roll at its scandal-hit RFEF federation whose disgraced ex-boss appeared in court on sexual assault charges.

Published: 16 September 2023 07:56 CEST
Spain women's World Cup players demand more heads roll as Rubiales in court

Just hours after Luis Rubiales was quizzed by a judge for kissing midfielder Jenni Hermoso, all but two of Spain’s 23 World Cup players said they would not don the national shirt without deeper changes within the RFEF, demanding its current interim head also resign.

The statement came as the squad’s new coach Montse Tome was to announce the lineup for two upcoming UEFA Women’s Nations League matches against Sweden and Switzerland, which was promptly postponed, federation sources said.

“The changes put in place are not enough,” said a statement signed by 39 players, among them 21 of the 23 World Cup winners.

Demanding “fundamental changes to the RFEF’s leadership”, they called for the “resignation of the RFEF president” Pedro Rocha, who took over as interim leader when FIFA suspended Rubiales on August 26.

But the federation insisted Rocha would “lead the transition process within the RFEF until the next election”, insisting any changes would be made “gradually”.

A federation source said a leadership election could take place early next year.

“This institution is more important than individuals and it’s crucial it remains strong. We’ll work tirelessly to create stability first in order to progress later,” Rocha said in the statement.

Despite a string of recent changes, the federation remains in the hands of officials appointed by Rubiales, and the players are demanding structural changes “within the office of the president and the secretary general”.

Brought to court by a kiss

The bombshell came after days of optimism within the RFEF that the players would come round after it sacked controversial coach Jorge Vilda, appointed Tome in his stead and pledged further changes, not to mention Rubiales’ long-awaited resignation on Sunday.

On August 25, 81 Spain players, including the 23 world champions, had started a mass strike saying they would not play for the national team without significant changes at the head of the federation.

Earlier on Friday, Rubiales appeared in court where he was quizzed by Judge Francisco de Jorge who is heading up the investigation into the kiss, which sparked international outrage and saw him brought up on sexual assault charges.

At the end of the closed-door hearing, in which Rubiales repeated his claim that the kiss was consensual, the judge ordered him not to come within 200 metres of Hermoso and barred him from any contact with the player.

At the weekend, the 46-year-old had described the kiss as “a spontaneous act, a mutual act, an act that both consented to, which was… 100 percent non-sexual” in an interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan.

Hermoso, 33, has insisted it was not, describing it as “an impulsive, macho act, out of place and with no type of consent on my part”.

Speaking to reporters outside court, Hermoso’s lawyer Carla Vall said they were “very satisfied” with the hearing.

“Thanks to this video, everyone can see there was no consent whatsoever and that is what we will demonstrate in court.”

Allegations of coercion

Hermoso herself will also testify before the judge at some stage, who will then have to decide whether or not to push ahead with the prosecution. No date has been given for her testimony.

The complaint against Rubiales, which was filed by the public prosecutors’ office, cites alleged offences of sexual assault and coercion.

Under a recent reform of the Spanish penal code, a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault, a category which groups all types of sexual violence.

If found guilty, Rubiales could face anything from a fine to four years in prison, sources at the public prosecutors’ office have said.

In their complaint, prosecutors explained the offence of coercion related to Hermoso’s statement saying she “and those close to her had suffered constant ongoing pressure by Luis Rubiales and his professional entourage to justify and condone” his actions.

At the hearing, Rubiales also denied coercion.

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