Bordeaux excluded from national competitions by DNCG

Bordeaux excluded from national competitions, drop to regional level

Girondins de Bordeaux have been thrown out of French national competitions by the DNCG and will play at regional level (1). Six-time champions of France. A club that once sat at the very top of the French game is now out of the professional pyramid entirely.

Chelsea look at Manu Kone

Chelsea are considering a move for Roma midfielder Manu Kone after France's World Cup exit (2). The 25-year-old has drawn interest from multiple Premier League sides, and a transfer now looks like a live possibility for the France international.

Fan reactions

The big talking point in French football circles right now isn't Bordeaux, it's the managerial succession. Fabrizio Romano reports the French Federation plan to sign formal documents with Zinedine Zidane after the World Cup ends, with Zidane having turned down every other proposal for eight months waiting for this job alone. Meanwhile, L'Equipe's player ratings from the Spain semifinal are getting plenty of debate, and one Real Madrid fan summed up the 2–0 defeat perfectly: it looked like a replay of every Clasico from the last two years, and not just because of the Madrid–Barca split in both squads.