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PSG ‘appoint’ Laurent Blanc as new coach

French champions PSG have appointed Laurent Blanc as their new manager on Friday, the TV sports channel BeInSport claimed on Friday. After a series of rejections by top coaches, the Qatari owned French club appear to have finally got their man.

PSG 'appoint' Laurent Blanc as new coach
Former French football manager Laurent Blanc speaks during the European Championships, June 2012. Photo: Franck Fife/AFP

French football club Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly reached an agreement with Laurent Blanc to become the new manager of the Ligue 1 champions, according to a post on the BeInSport Twitter account, a TV channel belonging to the club's Qatari owners.

"Exclusive information: agreement reached today (Friday) with Laurent Blanc who will become coach of Paris SG," indicated BeInSport, adding that a two-year deal was expected to be finalized at the start of next week.

Paris daily Le Parisien also posted a story on their website confirming that Blanc was indeed the new coach of the Ligue 1 champions.

The appointment is yet to be confirmed by the club.

PSG have had a difficult time since they picked up their first league title in 19 years, in May.

First, their Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti announced his intention to walk away from the club, after Real Madrid made it clear they wanted him.

Then, in their attempts to line up a replacement, the billionaire club whose Qatari owners want to see PSG rival the likes of Real and Barca in the years to come, were spurned by those lined up to replace the Italian.

First it was the Portuguese manager Andre Villas-Boas who is believed to have turned down their advances, preferring to remain at Premier League club Spurs.

Then former England coach Fabio Capello refused to be moved by PSG’s flirting, opting to stay on as coach of the Russian national team.

Former Chelsea and Dutch coach Guus Hiddink is also believed to have turned down PSG’s overtures in recent weeks.

Earlier on Friday, French daily Le Parisien reported that PSG had turned their attention towards Laurent Blanc, former coach of the French national team.

Le Parisien claimed that in recent days PSG had resolved to make Blanc their number one target.

“Even if nothing is official, the former world champion has a great chance of becoming the new coach of PSG,” Le Parisien wrote.

Having a Frenchman confirmed at the helm might improve the club's image at home, especially in the capital city where the owners are trying to increase the club's following.

Blanc had been a free agent since stepping down from the national job after France’s disappointing performance in last summer’s European championships.

Despite this failure, the former Manchester United centre-back is highly regarded in France. He is seen as having stabilized the national team after their catastrophic and rancorous exit from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, under the stewardship of Raymond Domenech.

The 47-year-old, nicknamed ‘Le President’, began his coaching career with Bordeaux in 2007 and led them to the Ligue 1 title in just his second season at the helm.

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CHRISTMAS

Why are German Christmas markets opening so early this year?

Most German Christmas markets don’t begin business until the end of November. But in some cities, the winter wonderlands are opening earlier than ever. What's going on?

Why are German Christmas markets opening so early this year?
Visitors stroll through Essen's Weihnachtsmarkt, which opens on Wednesday. Photo: DPA

The downtown Duisburg Christmas market is in full swing this year, 17 full days before the first Sunday Advent. This is earlier than ever, at least in the Ruhr area of North Rhine-Westphalia. Churches across Germany are expected to criticize this growing trend, yet many cities are defending their choices. 

“The Christmas market in Duisburg will open this year on November 14th, one day ahead of the Christmas markets in Essen and Oberhausen. The opening hours of the Christmas markets are mainly due to high demand from visitors,” a city project manager in Duisburg explained.

READ ALSO: 8 of the most beautiful German Christmas markets

Four women toast each other with Glühwein at the opening of the Freiburg Christmas market. Photo: DPA

Local church representatives collaborated with the city and agreed with the dates in Duisburg, he added. Additionally, the market recognizes important holy days like Totensonntag (Sunday of the Dead), Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, according to the city. 

“We are trying to meet the needs of our retailers, the inner-city trade and, above all, the demand of visitors,” he said.

The story is similar for Essen's early Christmas market. It will be closed for Volkstrauertag (this year on November 17th) as well as Totensonntag (November 24th).

And Essen and Duisburg are not alone with their very early Christmas markets. Even in Catholic-leaning Austria, marketplaces are getting a head start. For example, the Wiener Weihnachtstraum (Viennese Christmas Dream) opens November 15th.  

Even in Berlin, where big markets open only after Totensonntag and stay until the New Year, a similar phenomenon is playing out. The so-called Winterwelt (Winter World) at Potsdamer Platz, which is hardly distinguishable from a real Christmas market, has been open since November 2nd. 

Even more extreme, the Bayreuther Winterdorf (Bayreuth Winter Village) opened on October 17th this year. The marketplace proudly calls itself the first Christmas gathering “in the whole of Germany and certainly all of Europe.” 

READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about preparing for Christmas 

A photo of the Christmas market in Bielefeld, North Rhine Westphalia. Photo: DPA

Nevertheless, the churches see the early Christmas markets as a commodification of important Christian holidays. Ulrich Lota, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Essen, says the markets are an advertising tool to lure people into the city and away from online shopping. 

“It is important to remember, even amongst the commerce and consumption, that Christmas is not just some cultural holiday at the end of the year, but the celebration of the birth of Jesus,” she said. 

However, churches don’t want to strictly forbid something that brings many joy during the season. 

Christmas markets in Freiburg, Bochum and Dortmunder, as well as the Salzburg Christkindlmarkt in Austria and the Weinachtsdorf am Bellevue in Zurich are all open as early as November 21st, the Thursday before Totensonntag.

In most cities, however, the Christmas markets open only after Totensonntag. Cities like Kassel, Frankfurt am Main, Cologne, Hamburg, Hanover, Bielefeld, Potsdam, Cottbus, Rostock and Lübeck hold off on the Glühwein and other classic Christmas treats until November 25th. 

In Erfurt, Weimar and Leipzig, the celebrations start on November 26th, and in Munich on Marienplatz and in Stuttgart only a day later on November 27th. The Dresden Striezelmarkt begins on Wednesday before the First Advent.

The Mainz Christmas Market opens on November 28th, and the famous Nuremberg Christkindlmarkt kicks off on November 29th, the Friday before the First Advent.

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