"In spite of our concessions on 'points of disagreement' Alain Giresse did not wish to sign a new contract with the Federation," Femafoot vice-chairman Moussa Konate said.

Giresse, 59, signed a two-year deal in May 2010 and led the squad to third place at the Africa Cup of Nations having previously had a four-year stint in charge of Gabon.

The Frenchman's assistant Amadou Pathe Diallo will take over in an interim capacity.

Speculation has been rife over Tigana's position for several weeks and confirmation he had left came via a statement on the club's official website.

Former DR Congo boss Jean-Florent Ikwange Ibenge has taken over on a caretaker basis while former Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka and one-time England goalkeeper Ian Walker are part of a five-man coaching team.

Tigana took over in December but leaves with the club 10th in the 16-team league.

He said: "It's extra pressure. We must learn to manage it all for a young team, which hasn't proven anything yet.

"I tell them every day, we have not won anything, they are two points clear and 15 still remain (available), it is more complicated."

Girard also reckons fixtures get tougher at this stage of the season as opponents are fighting their own battles for a strong finish to their respective campaigns.

He said: "It is possible that we are less risky, we have less success, but the context has also changed, our opponents play for Europe or to avoid relegation, and so the look has changed. We must be realistic - the players must give their maximum, and we will not hide."

Friday's other fixture sees mid-table Marseille travelling to Lorient before second-placed Paris St-Germain travels to current champion Lille on Sunday knowing that a defeat for Montpellier would mean it could move above it in the table.

Despite the difficult nature of its match against third-placed Lille, PSG's task could be made a little easier as playmaker Eden Hazard looks set to miss the game for the host.

Hazard picked up an injury in Lille's 2-0 win over Dijon and is now a major doubt for a game Rudi Garcia's side must win to maintain any slim possibility of retaining its league crown.

Sunday also sees a big game at the foot of the table as bottom side Auxerre hosts 18th-placed Brest.

Brest has lost four out of its last five in the league, a run which has seen manager Alex Dupont lose his job with sporting director Corentin Martins now given the task of saving the club from relegation.

Auxerre has won only once in its last 16 league outings but can close the gap on Brest to two points with a win at the Stade de l'Abbe-Deschamps.

Sochaux is level on points with Brest and will be looking to pull itself out of the relegation zone with a win at home to Bordeaux while 17th-placed side Ajaccio will be looking over its shoulder as it travels to a tricky fixture at Rennes.

St Etienne has won its last two and hosts struggling Dijon knowing that Europa League qualification is still attainable while Nancy plays Caen and Nice travels to Valenciennes.

PSG conceded a late equaliser against last-place Auxerre last Sunday, missing the chance to move level on points at the top after Montpellier's loss at Lorient.

The usually calm Ancelotti openly criticised his players, questioning whether they are mentally strong enough to lead PSG to its first league title since 1994.

"We have to show more character sometimes. We know that every game's going to be difficult," Ancelotti said.

"We were complacent and you can't win matches if you're complacent."

With six rounds remaining, second-place PSG is only two points behind Montpellier but has a worse goal difference.

The 1-1 draw was the third time in five games that PSG has dropped points after letting in a late goal, making the home game on Sunday against Sochaux an opportunity for the team to improve.

Ancelotti's coaching was widely criticised after the Auxerre match. He reshuffled his back four with 10 minutes left, inviting pressure on a shaky defence. A chaotic last few minutes ensued, leading to Auxerre's goal.

"We gave Montpellier a gift," PSG defender Milan Bisevac said.

Former PSG coach Antoine Kombouare, who was fired to make way for Ancelotti, has good cause to feel annoyed.

At the midseason winter break, PSG was three points clear of Montpellier at the top with his team averaging 2.11 points per game. Now, under Ancelotti, the side is two points adrift and averaging 1.85.

By the time PSG faces Sochaux, Montpellier could have a gap of five points if it beats Valenciennes at home on Saturday.

"We're on the verge of something big," said Montpellier striker Olivier Giroud, the league's top scorer with 20 goals.

"I really think we can go and win the title. I firmly believe that."

Defending champion Lille is still in contention, although it will probably have to win every match to close the seven-point gap on Montpellier. The team still has to play Montpellier and PSG.

"We need both of them to lose," Lille midfielder Joe Cole said.

"If we win our last six matches then it's possible."

Led by dynamic winger Eden Hazard, who has 15 goals and 12 assists, Lille is confident of winning at Dijon on Saturday.

Lille is in a strong position to finish third for a spot in the Champions League qualifying rounds, since it leads both Lyon and Toulouse by six points.

Lyon was beaten by Marseille in last weekend's League Cup final to Marseille and then lost 3-0 to Toulouse on Wednesday. The team hosts Lorient on Sunday.

Lyon has been boosted by the return of playmaker Yoann Gourcuff, who has been sidelined with a groin injury for the past two months, and he needs to find his form.

"It's good to be back but obviously I would have liked a win," said Gourcuff, who came on in the second half against Toulouse.

"We still have a lot to play for."

While Gourcuff returns, Toulouse midfielder Etienne Didot is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury. Toulouse travels to Evian on Saturday.

Marseille ended a run of 12 matches without a victory by winning the League Cup for the third straight year last weekend, salvaging a miserable season by earning a place in the Europa League.

But Marseille drew 1-1 at home with Caen on Wednesday, and coach Didier Deschamps' team still hasn't won a league match since January 29.

To make things worse for Deschamps, top scorer Loic Remy is in doubt for Saturday's match after hurting his ankle against Caen.

Ajaccio hosts Nancy in Sunday's other game.

The result on Sunday meant PSG, currently second in the table, failed to take full advantage of leader Montpellier losing 2-1 at Lorient the same day.

With six games left each, there are two points separating the top two teams and Jallet has warned that the Paris side - which has now won only one of its last five league fixtures and hosts Sochaux, another struggling team, on Sunday - can afford no more slip-ups.

"We were all impatient to get back to work in order to win all three points against Sochaux because we know we messed up against Auxerre," Jallet told www.psg.fr.

"We stupidly dropped two points and now we really need to focus on the upcoming challenges.

"With just seven games to go, it hurt dropping two points like that, especially when we were in the driving seat.

"We were all bitterly disappointed with the result and now we want to show just how much we want this title. That means playing well and getting the results from here on in.

"We have to approach this game with the right attitude. We need to get a bit of that quiet confidence back.

"There are only six matches left. If we don't get the points now, the chance will be gone.

"We need to win six finals if we want to finish champions. Unfortunately, it's not in our hands. It's a shame."

Montpellier, whose defeat to Lorient was only its second in the league since the turn of the year, has the opportunity to extend its advantage at the summit to five points when it entertains Valenciennes on Saturday.

The table-topper has never won the Ligue 1 title and while striker Olivier Giroud feels inexperience could potentially count against his side, he remains confident it has what it takes to finish the job.

"If there is a risk, it is our lack of experience," Giroud told RMC.

"But we must ignore the environment, even if it's something extraordinary for the club.

"I really think we have the opportunity to get the title and I firmly believe."

Elsewhere on Saturday, third-placed Lille is at Dijon while Europa League contenders Toulouse, Rennes and St Etienne travel to Evian, Brest and Caen respectively, Bordeaux welcomes Marseille to the Stade Chaban Delmas and Auxerre makes the trip to Nice.

Sunday's other games sees Lyon - currently fourth - take on Lorient at home and Ajaccio host Nancy.

Houllier had referred to Ginola as a 'bastard' in a book and the former Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United winger was seeking 5,000 euros ($6,406) in damages for slander and defamation.

Ginola had pledged to give the money to a sporting association.

However, the court in Toulon found that the word used by Houllier could not be assessed in isolation from its context and could not qualify for both slander and defamation.

"The court accepted that there were irregularities in the citation," said judge Didier Guissard.

As a result of their procedural concerns, the court said they had not examined the substance of the case.

During a four-hour hearing, the judge attempted to broker a reconciliation between the two men but without success.

"They took me to the gallows," said an emotional Ginola.

"My life boils down to 10 seconds of play and 18 years later, I'm treated as a pariah. Gerard Houllier says that I'm an idiot, a bastard, and that I committed a crime against the France team."

Houllier's comments about Ginola's role in France's 1993 defeat by Bulgaria appeared in a book written by two journalists, Christophe Daniel and Riolo Paillet, entitled Coaches' Secrets.

Ginola was widely vilified for an over-hit cross that led to Emil Kostadinov scoring an 89th-minute goal in a 2-1 win in Paris that took Bulgaria to the 1994 World Cup at France's expense.

Houllier had claimed that Ginola was the victim of nothing more than an unfortunate choice of words.

"I never doubted his integrity," said the former Liverpool and Lyon coach.

"If I regret anything, it is using the word 'crime' in place of 'serious mistake'. There is no acrimony."

Already leading 2-0 from the first leg, the German giant was always favourite to progress and so it proved as two clinical moments from the Croatian proved sufficient.

Were it not for the heroics of visiting goalkeeper Steve Mandanda it could have been more and, while Bayern will now go on to a likely last-four meeting with Real Madrid, questions are starting to mount over the future of Marseille coach Didier Deschamps.

Comfortably out of the domestic title race and dumped out of the cup by unfancied opposition, Marseille's turgid form has seen his position come under some scrutiny already. The Champions League was perhaps his last hope of salvation, but Bayern put paid to that.

Jerome Boateng set the tone for the host with an early header that whistled just over, before Marseille stirred, with Loic Remy and Jeremy Morel both denied by Manuel Neuer.

Bayern then stepped up and took a 13th-minute lead.

Franck Ribery created the goal, embarking on a looping run around the Marseille defence and then crossing for Olic who, from a potentially offside position, stabbed beyond Mandanda.

Neuer then had to earn his money again as he beat away a Stephane M'bia effort, before Ribery went close with a shot on the turn.

Mandanda then produced a stunning spell of goalkeeping.

First he denied Toni Kroos and then parried a volley from Anatoliy Tymoschuk. Shortly after he made a wonderful save to keep out Olic, before beating away Thomas Muller's bullet header from a corner.

When Kroos then beat Mandanda the woodwork came to his rescue, but he could do nothing to stop Olic's second after 37 minutes.

Mathieu Valbuena carelessly lost possession close to Bayern's corner flag and, as quick as a flash, Ribery and David Alaba launched a length-of-the-field counter-attack that ended with the latter crossing for Olic to convert.

The outstanding Ribery drew a double save out of Mandanda after the restart, and then the equally-impressive Kroos went close when he dragged a shot wide.

Brandao's header could have given Marseille the most fanciful of lifelines but sailed over and from then on, Bayern clicked into cruise control and saw the game out with some ease.

Angers head of youth recruitment Axel Labatiniere said his club watched Lionel Messi Nyamsi, a 17-year-old central midfielder who was born in Cameroon, playing for Toulouse Fontaines in February and was struck by his natural ability.

"I spotted him playing a tournament in the southwest of France," Labatiniere said on Tuesday. "We gave him a trial at Angers. He has a really good feel for the game. We've offered him a contract. He is considering it."

While Barcelona's Messi has scored 55 times this season for the defending European and Spanish champion and recently set a club all-time record with 235 goals, his namesake hopes to join a relegation-battling club languishing in 15th place in division two.

"I've had other offers but I think I'll end up at Angers," Messi was quoted as saying on French football website Chronofoot. "My greatest wish is to play alongside Leo Messi. I was born in Cameroon but I'm French. I would choose France."

Messi is still playing for Toulouse Fontaines.

Lilian Glock said a decision had been taken to release Vairelles from Metz prison in eastern France but he remained under formal investigation for a shooting outside a nightclub in Nancy at the end of October last year.

Vairelles, 38, and his three brothers - Fabrice, Giovan and Jimmy - had all been remanded in custody after the shooting of three nightclub doormen after an altercation.

The brothers deny the charges. The three doormen for their part are accused of having used tear gas as well as a steel truncheon against the Vairelles.

Vairelles was born in Nancy and went on to star for local side AS Nancy, before notable spells with both Lens and Lyon.

He won the French title with Lens in 1998 and with Lyon in 2003, and won eight caps for France. Vairelles later became the majority shareholder at third-tier club Gueugnon, which went into liquidation last year.

Marseille recently set a dismal club record with seven straight defeats and has scored a meagre five goals in eight games. It faces Bayern without its best goalkeeper and first-choice centre-half, and desperately needs top scorer Loic Remy to shake off a thigh injury.

In sharp contrast to Marseille's slump, Bayern has been tearing opponents apart lately, scoring 22 goals in five games thanks to its mesmerising three-pronged attack of Arjen Robben, Mario Gomez and Franck Ribery.

"Aside from Real Madrid and Barcelona, they're the team that really stands out. We're facing a heavyweight," Marseille midfielder Alou Diarra said. "They are the favourites, but we'll give it everything."

Marseille ended its losing streak with a 1-1 draw away to Nice, but lost defender Souleymane Diawara for the rest of the season to a knee injury. Although Diawara was suspended for the first leg, his absence will also be a blow for the return leg in Munich.

Coach Didier Deschamps must also cope without suspended goalie Steve Mandanda.

His absence couldn't come at a worse time, given Marseille's situation and Mandanda's outstanding form.

In the previous round, the France No. 2's inspirational shot-stopping against Inter Milan at San Siro kept Marseille in the competition. But with quarter-final qualification assured, he gave away a penalty in the dying seconds and got sent off.

Deschamps has to choose between Gennaro Bracigliano, who spilled an easy cross in last week's French Cup quarter-final defeat to semi-professional Quevilly, and Elinton Andrade, who hasn't played since January 2011 and totals just eight games in three years.

Whoever starts may have nightmares about Robben, Gomez and Ribery. With the kind of service Gomez has been getting from each flank, it is little wonder he's scored 10 goals in the competition - two behind Barcelona's Lionel Messi. Gomez scored four when Bayern destroyed Basel 7-0 in the previous round to record the biggest winning margin in the knockout rounds.

Keeping Robben and Ribery quiet stems the supply line to Gomez, but is easier said than done.

"We'll be keeping an eye on Ribery," Diarra said.

Ribery enjoyed two excellent seasons with Marseille before joining Bayern in 2007. Despite being hugely popular with Marseille fans back then, he does not expect a warm welcome.

"(I'm expecting) some jeers, which is normal. That's football," Ribery told sports daily L'Equipe on Tuesday. "The fans liked me and appreciated the contact I had with them. But they're not going to applaud me, either. I play for Bayern now."

The volatile Stade Velodrome crowd has been getting on the players' backs recently, but Ribery knows that can change as quickly as the Mistral wind that blows through Marseille's port, and that they can be a potent force when backing their team.

"The people live football and 60,000 fans will be against us," he said.

Defender Daniel Van Buyten, who played for Marseille from 2001-2004, doesn't think Marseille's lean spell is an indication of a comfortable game for Bayern.

"They're hard to handle at home," Van Buyten said. "Even if they've had a few problems recently, we won't underestimate them."

Marseille is down in ninth place in the French league, meaning it will most likely need to win the Champions League to play in it next season. Still, Deschamps was mightily relieved to even draw last weekend.

"This helps us stem the haemorrhage a bit," he said. "Even if we haven't stopped it completely, at least we've stuck a bandage on it."

His relief mirrors the players' lack of confidence.

Bayern's confidence, however, is soaring, as it dreams of a treble and playing the Champions League final in its stadium on 19 May.

Bayern reached the German Cup final by beating Borussia Monchengladbach on penalties then maintained the pressure on Bundesliga leader Borussia Dortmund with a 2-1 win over Hannover at the weekend.

Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes started with Gomez on the bench against Hannover because of a minor hip injury, but he scored his league-leading 23rd goal of the season after going on as a substitute.

Doubts remain over midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger's troublesome right ankle.

The official sent a report to the Languedoc-Roussillon league in the south of the country about the incident involving players from Petit-Bard Montpellier, who had been due to play Narbonne in the regional promotion tie.

The league must now decide whether to order the match to be replayed or to award a win to Narbonne.

The two teams played a friendly match instead, with Narbonne winning 7-6.

Football's world governing body FIFA banned players from wearing the Islamic headscarf in 2007, claiming it is unsafe.

But football federations and even the United Nations have urged FIFA to lift the ban, maintaining that concerns about safety are baseless and that it discriminates against Muslim players, particularly when no such restrictions apply in other sports.

Iran's women's team last year forfeited a 2012 Olympic qualifier because players wouldn't play without wearing hijabs.

Inter spurned glorious early chances but Diego Milito's scrappy 75th-minute goal appeared enough to force extra-time at least.

But Brandao then scored a goal from nothing in the second minute of stoppage-time, and even though there was a further twist when Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda fouled Giampaolo Pazzini, earning a second yellow card and allowing the Italy international to give Inter a 2-1 victory on the night, boss Ranieri's side went out on the away-goals rule.

Marseille had an early chance to all but kill Inter's hopes as Mathieu Valbuena shot dangerously on the turn, but saw the ball go narrowly wide.

Instead it was Inter which wasted golden chances as it showed all the signs of a team short on confidence.

Javier Zanetti ran brilliantly to the byline, and his cut-back was deflected by Souleymane Diawara perfectly into the path of Wesley Sneijder, but as the whole stadium expected the see the net bulge, the Dutchman's shot hit Diawara and found its way to Mandanda.

Milito then had an even easier chance moments later as he broke clear to meet Dejan Stankovic's cross just feet from goal, but the Argentinian inexplicably tried to chest it in and sent the ball straight into the goalkeeper's waiting arms.

At the other end, Cesar Azpilicueta's long looping cross found Andre Ayew at the far post, but his header, lacking power, went narrowly wide.

After that sparkling start, the game largely went stale as move after moves at either end finished with a series of misplayed passes.

Mandanda got across to keep out Sneijder's curling free-kick while Diego Forlan headed wide from Maicon's cross in the dying stages of the first half, but Inter had failed to show enough to suggest it could turn it around as it went in for the half-time break.

And the narrative barely swung in its favour during a poor start to the second half with few chances for either side.

The task became harder just before the hour mark when Sneijder was withdrawn with a shake of the head, apparently suffering some kind of injury, while Pazzini replaced the largely ineffective Forlan.

Stankovic sent a poor free-kick well over the crossbar from a good position as time continued to tick away.

Marseille could have killed Inter off in the 71st minute when Julio Cesar did well to get down and block Diawara's header on the line.

The breakthrough finally came 15 minutes from time, but it was far from pretty.

Marseille failed to clear a corner, and after Walter Samuel prodded the ball back into the danger zone. Pazzini somehow failed to finish from four yards, but when the ball came back to Milito he tucked it away from close range.

Inter poured forward in search of a winner, but Mandanda comfortably dealt with Maicon's free-kick, before the Brazilian sent another set-piece from a far better position wildly over the bar.

Extra-time looked a certainty, but Mandanda's huge punt upfield fell for Brandao, in somewhat unorthodox fashion off the striker's back, but it was enough for him to break free and rifle the ball past Cesar.

That should have been that, but Mandanda then brought down Pazzini in the area, earning a second caution and a dismissal after a yellow card for time-wasting.

Pazzini lashed home the penalty, but it was the last kick of the game as Inter crashed out.

Despite the backing of Inter president Massimo Moratti, Ranieri's position has become uncertain after a poor run of results.

Andre Ayew's late winner in the 1-0 defeat at Marseille a fortnight ago came in the middle of a nine-game winless run that was finally ended with a 2-0 success at Chievo.

Milito scored in added time to seal the win and the Argentinian believes the overdue success will inspire it to turn around the deficit against an OM side which is itself struggling.

"We're convinced we can overturn the result. We played very well in the first leg and didn't deserve to lose," he said.

"We're sure that we can win with the help of our fans.

"We're sure we can still do well in the Champions League. Of course it is a different sort of competition. If we get through this round we'll be among the top eight teams in Europe.

"Tuesday's match is massive and we're desperate to do well. And after that we'll have everything to play for - this team have already shown they're capable of going all the way."

Moratti offered Ranieri his full backing after the win at Chievo, although an early Champions League exit could test his patience.

"It's not easy for a coach to read in the papers every day that there's a new coach coming in to replace him," Moratti told Sky Sports Italia.

"Ranieri is professional, he's getting on with his job and he has my complete support in this difficult time that he's experiencing and that we're trying to get through."

Despite Ranieri's problems his opposite number, Didier Deschamps, is under just as much pressure after an alarming slump in form.

Since beating Inter, OM has lost its past four league games, without scoring, to slip to eighth in the Ligue 1 table.

A 1-0 reverse at relegation-threatened Ajaccio at the weekend was only sweetened by the return of star striker Loic Remy from injury as a half-time substitute.

The France international is set to start at San Siro on Tuesday evening (Wednesday morning AEDT) and fellow attacker Mathieu Valbuena believes he could help claim a win to turn the season around.

"If we are fortunate enough to qualify for the quarter-finals, it will give us the confidence and serenity for the rest of the season," he told L'Equipe.

"Our recent results have not been good. If we can get through this it will be huge."

With the score level at 3-3 in the shootout, Chiotis saved successive penalties from Alexandre Lacazette and Michel Bastos to secure his side a place in the last eight on its first appearance in the knockout stages.

Gustavo Manduca scored the only goal of the night in normal time to cancel out Lacazette's winner for Lyon in the first leg.

Manduca's night ended on a sour note when he picked up a second booking in the 115th minute, but his team-mates - and Chiotis in particular - ensured his dismissal was not a precursor to elimination.

APOEL had every reason to be confident coming into the match thanks to its record of just one defeat in its last 10 home European games, and it looked bright early on.

It needed a quick goal to get its French opponent on the back foot, and that is what happened after nine minutes when the ball broke to Constantinos Charalambides in the area and his low cross was turned in at the far post by Manduca.

Manduca ill-advisedly took off his shirt to celebrate his goal - a decision that would come back to haunt him in extra-time.

Lyon looked for a quick response and in the 20th minute Bastos' long-range free-kick was well gathered by Chiotis.

Five minutes later the home goalkeeper was almost in trouble when Ederson floated in a free-kick from the left that was arcing into the top-right corner before Chiotis re-adjusted to make a good save.

Within minutes Lyon was threatening again, Bastos's brilliant cross guided agonisingly wide by the head of Ederson.

A fine, flowing passing move almost brought goal number two for the host, but when it fell to Esteban Solari to finish he could do no better than fire against Hugo Lloris.

Eleven minutes into the second half the host came close again, Helder Sousa's free-kick glanced onto his own bar by Aly Cissokho with Lloris beaten.

With 71 minutes on the clock APOEL again went close, another passing move culminating with Charalambidis turning his man and centring for Solari, who could not get enough on the ball and the chance went away.

The threat at the other end remained, however, and minutes later Chiotis had to be on his toes to turn aside Lisandro Lopez's far-post header.

Ailton had the home fans off their feet when he charged into the area in the 88th minute and went down under the challenge of two defenders, but referee Alberto Mallenco was in no mood to be conned and correctly showed a yellow card to the attacker for going to ground too easily.

That was the last real drama of the second period as the match move into extra-time.

The first 15 minutes of added time was a cagey affair, with the only real chance going the way of the visitor in the 93rd minute when Paulo Jorge's clearance from Kim Kallstrom's free-kick flashed just past his own post.

Five minutes into the second period Lyon went close to breaking APOEL hearts when Lisandro took too long to take aim after being set up in the area, allowing a defender to block, while seconds later Bastos's curling effort was deflected just over.

Ailton was thwarted by Bakary Kone as APOEL went in search of the winner, while substitute Ivan Trickovski then fired over a minute later.

Manduca then picked up his second yellow card for a clumsy tackle from behind on Lacazette, leaving his side to play out the final five minutes a man light.

The host had just one scare to survive in what time remained as Lisandro fired wide from Lacazette's drilled cross, leaving penalty kicks as the unwanted outcome.

After both sides scored with their first three kicks, the deadlock was broken on Lyon's fourth effort when Chiotis read Lacazette's intentions to make a save low to his left, and after Trickovski had netted APOEL's fourth, Chiotis made a carbon-copy stop from Bastos to ensure his side's dream run in the competition would continue.

A 2-0 defeat at Nancy last weekend means Lyon has slipped to 15 points behind Ligue 1 leader Paris Saint-German, and is now seven points off a top-three position - and a return to UEFA Champions League football next season.

In particular, Lyon's away form this season has been poor - losing eight of 14 league games on the road, which makes Wednesday evening's (Thursday morning AEDT) second leg of its last-16 tie against APOEL in Nicosia a tricky affair.

Going into the game at the GSP Stadium, Lyon leads 1-0 courtesy of a deflected strike from Alexandre Lacazette, but the Cypriot side has proven no slouch this season.

Prior to a 2-0 home defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk last time out, when it had already qualified from the group stages, APOEL was unbeaten in nine European matches, a run that included victories over Zenit St Petersburg and Porto.

"We have a team that lacks physical strength, vivacity and enthusiasm," Aulas told the club's official website.

"When we do not create enough opportunities and make mistakes we lose games that are within our reach.

"It is really disappointing, but we must remain behind the team, and in our games against Nicosia and Lille we must be decisive.

"We must regroup mentally and not listen to negative comments."

The match represents an opportunity for APOEL to continue its remarkable adventure in the competition, having already become the first Cypriot side to reach the knockout phase.

Underlining the scale of its success so far, Brazilian striker Ailton told UEFA.com: "It has been very difficult, not only for me, but for everyone in Cyprus to understand how big our achievements have been until now in the Champions League.

"Everybody knows we have to be happy about it, and to enjoy it as much as we can.

"I'm sure it is the team work, everybody working together, giving everything for each other.

"We've been together since winning the championship, so we know what is needed and team work has been the key.

"As has been the dream to go to the next stage, to play the big teams in the Champions League and give everything in every game."

Inter was improved from the side that went down 3-0 to Bologna for its third straight home defeat, but still looked sluggish at times and there were clear signs of anxiety as its woeful run continues.

Ayew headed in from a corner he had won in the third minute of injury-time to make it six defeats out of seven for the Italian giant.

Although a 1-0 scoreline by no means eliminates Inter as it head back to the San Siro for the second leg, Ranieri must wait to see if his paymasters allow him to stay in charge for that match.

There were early chances for Marseille as Inter began nervously.

Benoit Cheyrou saw an early effort deflected narrowly wide for a corner before sending a free-kick from a good position straight into the wall after Mauro Zarate conceded a soft foul on the edge of the area.

The Italian side began to find some attacking purpose, though, and Steve Mandanda made an excellent save to push Diego Forlan's close-range volley over the bar and the goalkeeper was on his toes again to beat Zarate to the ball at the near post from Javier Zanetti's low cross, timing his intervention to perfection.

Wesley Sneijder's free-kick struck the wall but Inter quickly gathered the loose ball and Zanetti's pass struck Esteban Cambiasso, spinning inches wide, although the assistant referee had wrongly signalled offside.

Marseille could and perhaps should have scored moments later when Mathieu Valbuena sent a curling free-kick into the area only for Brandao and Souleymane Diawara to get in each other's way and send it wide with the goal gaping.

Inter countered with its best move of the match as Sneijder sent a defence-splitting pass through to Cambiasso. He pulled it back for Zarate, but the striker could get no power on his shot from a good position.

Marseille came out of the dressing rooms for the second half looking like the better side, but Diawara's long volley went wide while Julio Cesar made a comfortable enough save from Cesar Azpilicueta drilled effort from the edge of the area.

A handball from Diawara gave Inter a set-piece to work with, but Dejan Stankovic fired wide from Sneijder's lay-off.

They tried a similar move moments later, but this time Stankovic's shot found Mandanda.

Jordan Ayew had a shot charged down by Cambiasso before his brother Andre set off on a one-man mission to win it for Marseille late on.

He headed Rod Fanni's cross over the bar but got better contact on another from Morgan Amalfitano, only to send the ball into the arms of Julio Cesar when placing it either side would have made for a certain goal.

It was the elder Ayew again in injury-time, cutting in from the left wing and then trying a curling shot off the outside of his boot which Julio Cesar could only palm aside for a corner.

Valbuena swung it in, and Ayew was on hand to nod it into the far corner with Cristian Chivu pawing helplessly at his shirt.

Deschamps was in the stands as Inter slumped to a 3-0 home defeat to Bologna, its third consecutive Serie A defeat and second straight at home after the stunning 1-0 loss to relegation-threatened Novara.

That form has seen Inter drop to seventh in the table, heaping pressure on coach Claudio Ranieri, for whom the Champions League offers one final chance of redemption this season.

However, Deschamps is expecting to see a much stronger version of Inter.

"They are a team that is not playing well at the moment," he told L'Equipe. "I have seen their previous matches on television, and there have been lots of individual defensive mistakes.

"But I am convinced we will not see the same Inter as of their last four Serie A matches. They will not erase everything in four or five days, but collectively they will be better.

"The Champions League can bring the focus and determination they have missed."

Marseille has been in less than convincing league form itself, drawing its last two matches to fall further off the pace at the top of Ligue 1, with the gap to the top now 12 points, just two points better than the difference between Inter and Serie A leader AC Milan.

Deschamps is now waiting to see whether this weekend's 1-1 draw with Valenciennes also cost him the services of Alou Diarra, who only resumed training on Tuesday after suffering a toe injury and remains doubtful.

Inter will be strengthened by the return of Diego Milito and Dejan Stankovic, who missed the Bologna defeat.

Diego Forlan could find his place under threat with the return of Milito, but the veteran Uruguayan, who joined Inter from Atletico Madrid in the northern summer, still believes he made the right move and has backed Ranieri to turn the team's fortunes around.

"I came here, played a few matches, and then the coach changed. It happens - suffering an injury, too," Forlan told UEFA.com. "However I have always felt happy here; I'm totally convinced by the decision to come.

"Ranieri is a great coach. In fact I've played against his teams in England and in Spain a few times, and I always respected him. He's coached many big teams. Now I am coached by him, and it's a real privilege.

"We are convinced that we can return to how we were doing during that series of seven consecutive [league] wins."

According to Antoine Boutonnet, head of the National Division for the Fight against Hooliganism (DNLH), 'a worrying phenomenon is the return of racism in the stands'.

He cited a fan arrested for making a Nazi salute during a game at Brest on 28 January, as well as 'six pseudo-Lyon supporters' who were arrested after 'spray painting the cars of Saint-Etienne supporters and a building with signs resembling swastikas'.

"Although the signs are weak for the time being, we're taking them into account immediately and we are extremely vigilant," added Boutonnet.

"There is zero tolerance and we won't hesitate to intervene."

Boutonnet also revealed that, although instances of hooliganism in and around stadiums had fallen, the use of flares and other pyrotechnic devices had risen sharply.

APOEL, the first Cypriot side to reach the last 16, showed no attacking intent - it did not have a shot until the 88th minute - and looked for much of the match like it might hang on.

But Lacazette struck after 58 minutes to give some relief to Lyon, whose poor domestic form has seen it slip 11 points adrift of leader Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1.

Lyon had a decent penalty shout after two minutes when Ederson appeared to be eased out of the way by Nuno Morais, but Italian referee Paolo Tagliavento waved play on.

For all Lyon's possession it was struggling to create chances, and the first real opportunity came after 24 minutes when, after good work from Lisandro Lopez, the ball broke in the area to Anthony Reveillere whose shot was blocked.

Lisandro then saw his low shot held by Dionissis Chiotis diving low to his right, before Lacazette cut in from the right well but hammered a good chance over the bar.

Five minutes before the break Lyon had its best effort of the half. Ederson's slide-rule pass was cut out by Ivan Trickovski but the ball broke to Lacazette, whose strike from the edge of the box was turned over by Chiotis.

Lisandro then fired over from a narrow angle.

Barely two minutes into the second period, Michel Bastos produced a lovely pass for Ederson, who rounded the keeper and slid the ball towards goal only for Paulo Jorge to slide in and clear at the very last moment.

Lyon finally took the lead after 58 minutes when Cris played the ball down the left channel for Lacazette, who cut inside before unleashing a shot which deflected off Jorge and looped over Chiotis.

With two minutes to play, APOEL finally had its first attempt of the match as Gustavo Manduca, on as a late substitute, cut in from the right and fired at goal but Hugo Lloris was alert to the danger and turned the ball over.

Their shirts bore the logo 'liberty, equality and superiority' during the league match with Real Sociedad.

The logo is a dig at France's national motto, with the Spaniards substituting 'superiority' for 'fraternity' on their shirts during the match with Real Sociedad, in the latest offering in the bitter war of words between France and Spain.

The Spanish have been angry since French satirical puppet show Les Guignols implied tennis great Rafael Nadal and other athletes are drug cheats after the two-year ban imposed on two-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador for doping last week.

Sevilla issued a statement explaining why it had allowed its players to take to the pitch with the slogan on their shirts.

"This is to show our support for all sportsmen in the country," the statement read.

"We also wanted to take the movement a step further in our resolute defence of the Spanish sporting world."

The sketches on French TV prompted the Spanish foreign minister to order a formal protest to French media.

One sketch featured a puppet likeness of world number two Nadal refuelling the tank of his car from his own bladder, a fill-up which powers up the car and leads to him being pulled over by police.

In another, a satirical ad asks people to donate blood to Contador and thus share in the glory of his cycling victories.

The French Football Federation postponed Paris Saint-Germain's match at Dijon on Tuesday and Marseille's game against Bourg-Peronnas on Wednesday in the last 16 of the French Cup.

They will now be played on February 15.

The FFF on Monday also called off the French Cup game between Quevilly and Orleans on Tuesday, setting February 21 as the new date.

The cold snap also led to the postponement of three French league matches last weekend.

Amoros will be assisted by fellow Frenchman Nicolas Philibert, a Benin sports ministry official told AFP.

He said the former France captain and Comoros coach is expected in Cotonou on Friday to sign a two-year deal.

The 49-year-old Amoros, who won the UEFA Champions League with Marseille in 1993, played 82 times for France and was voted the best young player of the 1982 FIFA World Cup.

The two nations were originally due to meet in 2014, but that date has now been brought forward with the match to take place on February 6 next year, half a century after Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer signed the treaty of friendship between the two nations.

As a result, the friendly between Germany and Italy which was due to take place on that date has been put back to March 2014.

"We were immediately touched by this idea and we made contact with the Italians and the French," said the German Football Association's (DFB) general secretary and designated president Wolfgang Niersbach.

"The fact we were able to change the schedule around so quickly and without any problems demonstrates the good relationship between the three associations."

The re-arranged game will take place in France with the two nations meeting first in Bremen at the end of next month for the first part of a double-header.

Cantona has used his fame to launch a campaign to get politicians and voters to back a French foundation that works to house the needy.

Cantona once called on people to empty their bank accounts in protest at the global financial crisis.

The newspaper Liberation published a letter from Cantona on Monday suggesting he was seeking to run for the French presidency in elections in April and May.

But on Tuesday the newspaper published an interview in which Cantona says he's trying to call attention to those in need of housing, and wants the candidates to make 'real commitments' in that direction.

Cantona, who once called on people to empty their bank accounts in protest at the global financial crisis, has reportedly written to the mayors of France seeking their backing.

The 45-year-old Cantona, who is considered one of United's greatest ever players, needs the signatures of 500 elected officials before the end of next month to run.

Newspaper Liberation printed a copy of the letter Cantona sent to mayors around France on its website on Monday. In it, Cantona pledges to fight against social inequality if given the chance to do so.

"I am an attentive citizen of our era, of the opportunities it offers to young people - (which are) too limited - of the injustices it generates - too many, too violent, too systematic," Cantona wrote.

"I am a committed citizen," he continued. "This engagement obliges me to speak up, more seriously than usual, but also with a keen sense of my responsibility, at a time when our country is faced with difficult choices."

Along with his undoubted football skills, the former France international gained notoriety throughout his career for his unorthodox football demeanour, outspoken comments and sometimes wild antics.

While playing for United, he once received a lengthy ban after launching a Kung-Fu style kick at Crystal Palace supporter in the stands, and insulted former France coach Henri Michel live on television after being dropped for a game.

Reported PSG target Alexandre Pato claimed the game's only goal, the Brazilian striker applying an innovative close-range finish to Zlatan Ibrahimovic's low cross in the fourth minute.

Antonio Nocerino hit the bar for Milan with a spectacular overhead kick in the 18th minute, but PSG had plenty of chances to draw level, with Nene a danger throughout.

The Brazilian forward thought he had scored direct from a corner late in the second half, only for the goal to be ruled out because the referee was not ready.

Moments later he curled a shot against the crossbar from the right-hand edge of the penalty area, with Mevlut Erding's follow-up also finding the woodwork, albeit from an offside position.

Ancelotti will make his competitive bow when PSG visits fifth-tier Saint-Colomban Locmine in the French Cup this weekend, while Italian champion Milan resumes its Serie A campaign at Atalanta on the same day.

Vairelles and his siblings - Giovan, Jimmy and Fabrice - have been in prison since the end of October after being charged with attempted murder over a shooting at a nightclub. They deny the charges.

The four men had made two previous pleas to be freed, both of which were also rejected.

"We've had enough of it, we're being dragged through the mud," said their father, Guy, after Wednesday's hearing.

"(The judge) is only looking at the statements from the bouncers, not the anomalies in the case."

Three bouncers were injured after the shooting, which took place outside a nightclub on the outskirts of the eastern French city of Nancy.

According to police, Jimmy, 20, and Giovan, 30, were thrown out of the venue in Essey-les-Nancy after an altercation but later returned with 38-year-old Tony and Fabrice, 40.

They reportedly attacked the bouncers using a baseball bat and a metal chain, before shots were fired.

Vairelles was born in Nancy, and went on to star for local side AS Nancy, before notable spells with both Lens and Lyon.

He won the French title with Lens in 1998 and with Lyon in 2003, and won eight caps for France.

Vairelles later became the majority shareholder at third-tier club Gueugnon, which went into liquidation earlier this year.

Monaco Sport Invest (MSI) "has committed to invest at least 100 million euros ($129.4 million) into Monaco Football Club over the next four years. This amount constitutes the guaranteed minimum and can be increased if necessary," read the statement.

The remaining 33 per cent stake will continue to be held by the Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club "which represents the interests of the principality".

Monaco's Prince Albert gave the nod for the deal to go through, saying: "The agreement which has been reached opens a new page in the history of the football team so dear to the Principality.

"I wish the team to regain the stature which in the past has made it one of the jewels of Monaco's sporting life."

Rybolovlev, who is based in Monaco and is described as owning the 93rd-largest fortune in the world by US publication Forbes, said: "I believe that the club has an enormous potential and I hope that it will be able to fully realise this potential at both national and European levels."

Monaco is one of the most decorated clubs in the French game, having won the title seven times and reached the Champions League final in 2004.

However, it was relegated from Ligue 1 at the end of last season and currently props up the second division.

It has won just one of its first 18 games and lies three points from safety.

The host could not hold out until half-time, however, as Cheikh M'Bengue drew Toulouse level with a fine goal five minutes before half-time.

The Senegalese left-back intercepted a loose ball and strode forwards before bending a sweet right-footed shot around Montpellier goalkeeper Geoffrey Jourdren from just outside the box for only his second Ligue 1 goal.

Etienne Capoue cleared off his own goal-line twice as Toulouse hung on, while the visitor finished the game with 10 men after Franck Tabanou saw red for two bookings late on.

"I'm a bit disappointed because we deserved better," said Girard. "One team tried to play. I'm not sure that Toulouse played much.

"If we hadn't given them that gift in the first half, I don't know if they'd have managed to unsettle us."

Having lost 1-0 at Valenciennes last weekend, Montpellier is now only a slender point clear of PSG, while Toulouse remains in sixth place.

PSG can return to the summit with victory over defending champion Lille in the game of the weekend, amid rumours that mooted PSG signing David Beckham will be in attendance at Parc des Princes.

At Stade Velodrome, Mathieu Valbuena rode to Marseille's rescue once again with a glorious equaliser and an injury-time assist in a 2-1 win over nine-man Lorient that kept Didier Deschamps's side in eighth place.

Lorient had Lamine Kone sent off for a last-man foul on Loic Remy in the 33rd minute but went ahead with 13 minutes to play when substitute Innocent Emeghara nutmegged Nicolas N'Koulou and rounded Steve Mandanda to score.

Valbuena scored a memorable winning goal at Borussia Dortmund earlier this month and he repeated the trick with six minutes remaining, bending a fine strike in off the crossbar from 22 yards out.

A surreal finale saw Remy hit the bar and Alaixys Romao sent off after receiving a second booking for dissent, before Benoit Cheyrou converted Valbuena's free-kick to claim a 95th-minute winner.

Lyon beat Evian 2-1 to claim its fifth consecutive victory in all competitions and provisionally climb above Lille into third place.

Jimmy Briand's opener for Lyon was cancelled out by Yannick Sagbo shortly before half-time but a back-post header from Lisandro Lopez in the 70th minute gave the host victory.

Both sides finished with 10 men, with Lisandro's replacement, Clement Grenier, sent off for a ragged foul on Aldo Angoula and Fabrice Ehret following suit after tripping Bafetimbi Gomis.

Elsewhere, Anthony Mounier scored twice as relegation-threatened Nice won 2-0 at home to Valenciennes to climb above its opponents into 18th place.

Nancy left the relegation zone, climbing to 15th on the back of a 2-1 win at Caen, while goals from Florent Sinama-Pongolle and Max Gradel gave Saint-Etienne 2-1 success at Dijon that moved Les Verts up to fifth.

A first-half Bruno Grougi penalty brought Brest a 1-0 win over Auxerre, with Kamel Chafni sent off following an altercation with an assistant referee.

Rybolovlev's offer for the club was put before the French football league's financial watchdog, and Franzi is optimistic the takeover will go ahead.

Franzi told Nice Matin newspaper that "things are not quite finalised but are moving along very well" and that "we hope that he will be Monaco's new majority shareholder before the end of the year."

Rybolovlev, who made his billions in fertilizer products, bought US businessman Donald Trump's Palm Beach mansion for $US100 million ($US100.23 million) in 2008.

Monaco was relegated from the top flight last year and is bottom of the French second division with only one win in 16 games.

The 23-year-old has enjoyed a successful 2011 during which he has blossomed under Real coach Jose Mourinho and he ended the 2010-2011 season with 26 goals.

Benzema scored after just 23 seconds against Barcelona last weekend, the quickest El Clasico goal in history.

The France international was honoured to receive the award and join past winners such as Zinedine Zidane.

He told France Football: "It is a pleasure to win an individual trophy. When I see the previous winners - Zidane, (Thierry) Henry and other major players - it makes me proud to join them on the list."

Valbuena popped up with the clinching strike three minutes from full-time after goals from Loic Remy and Andre Ayew had earlier cancelled out a Jakub Blaszczykowski strike and a Mats Hummels penalty for the host.

With Olympiacos beating Group F winner Arsenal in Greece, only a victory would have sufficed for Marseille, and Valbuena's heroics ensured the Mediterranean club finished just a point behind the Gunners, with Olympiacos forced to settle for a place in the UEFA Europa League.

Bottom side Dortmund started the match knowing that only a victory by at least four goals would give it any chance of reaching the next round, and set about its task brightly in the opening period.

It made the breakthrough midway through the first half when Sebastian Kehl's header was touched off by Robert Lewandowski for Blaszczykowski to drill home a low shot that raised the hopes of the Westfalenstadion faithful.

Lucas Barrios and Lewandowski then went close for Dortmund as the host laid siege to the opposition goal, and its pressure was further rewarded on 32 minutes when Kehl received a blow to the head from the high boot of Stephane Mbia and the referee signalled for a penalty.

Kehl's injury was too bad for him to continue, the skipper replaced by Antonio Da Silva, but Hummels at least made up for Kehl's pains by calmly tucking home the spot-kick beyond Steve Mandanda.

Dortmund was good value for the two-goal lead but its French opponent caught it with a sucker punch right at the end of the half to dent home hopes.

In the fourth minute of injury-time - the bulk of which coming as a result of the injury to Kehl - Morgan Amalfitano produced a great cross from the right flank to which Remy was first to react, stealing in ahead of Lukasz Piszczek to nod into the corner.

Dortmund suffered another blow at the break with the influential Mario Gotze unable to resume after picking up a knock. Ivan Perisic was brought on in his place.

Although the second period saw both sides push forward in search of goals, there was little by way of clear-cut chances, with speculative efforts by Da Silva and Lewandowski the best the host could muster in the opening 20 minutes.

Alou Diarra headed a Amalfitano corner wide on 63 minutes as Marseille almost got back on level terms, while Piszczek flashed a shot wide after 80 minutes as Dortmund's hopes began to look increasingly forlorn.

Dortmund's chances were finally extinguished five minutes from time when Amalfitano's corner was met by Ayew's thumping header into the top-right corner.

Marseille still needed a goal to be sure of reaching the knockout stage, and it arrived just three minutes from the end when Valbuena dribbled into the penalty area from the left and sent a rising shot into the net to book OM's place in the last 16.

Nancy was among the 11 cities picked by the French Football Federation to host Euro 2016, but it needed to expand the Marcel Picot stadium's capacity from about 20,000 to 32,000 in order to comply with the UEFA requirements.

However, Nancy and the two companies bidding for the renovation of the stadium, Bouygues and Vinci, could not reach an agreement over the financing.

That leaves Saint-Denis, Marseille, Lyon, Paris, Lille, Lens, Bordeaux, Toulouse, St Etienne and Nice as the cities that will host the tournament in 2016.

The 26-year-old Brazilian was substituted in the first half of Lille's 2-0 win over Brest on Saturday after he picked up the injury.

A statement on the club's official website read: "Tulio De Melo suffered a torn hamstring and was replaced in the 26th minute of Lille-Brest. The Mastiffs striker will be sidelined for a period of between four and six weeks."

The substitute scored seven minutes after he stepped foot on the pitch to give his side a potential lifeline to reach the knockout stages.

The result leaves Marseille second in the group, four points behind Arsenal, which beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 thanks to a double from the in-form Robin Van Persie.

It means Marseille needs to beat Borussia Dortmund in the final group game to secure second place and progress to the knock-out stages as Arsenal has now qualified in first.

Olympiacos leapfrogged Dortmund into third place to keep its hopes of securing a place in the UEFA Europa League alive, but it could still finish second if it beats Arsenal in the final group match if Marseille fails to win in Germany.

The French Ligue 1 side dominated the first half and had the first chance of the match when Alou Diarra headed Mathieu Valbuena's corner over the bar in the 11th minute.

Andre Ayew then forced Olympiacos defender Avraam Papadopoulos into a clearance five minutes later with a left-footed strike from 20 yards as the home side had the best of the opening exchanges.

Olympiacos then had a couple of good chances in quick succession 10 minutes before the break when Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda first saved a shot by Kevin Mirallas before he tipped Jose Holebas' 20-yard strike over the bar.

Marseille striker Jordan Ayew then fired a shot over the bar as neither side could find the way to break the deadlock before the break.

Valbuena went close five minutes into the second half when his close-range strike was parried by Balazs Megyeri before the French side failed to make anything out of the resulting corner.

Marseille continued to press, with shots by Valbuena and Jordan Ayew again denied by the rock solid defence of the reigning Greek Super League champion.

The Ligue 1 side began to dominate possession but Olympiacos had chances of its own when Ivan Marcano's 61st-minute strike was blocked by Benoit Cheyrou seconds after Mirallas' strike from the edge of the area was caught by Mandanda.

The momentum then shifted towards Olympiacos and it took the lead thanks to Fetfatzidis' strike in the 82nd minute.

The substitute midfielder collected Francisco Yeste's lofted ball which flew over the Marseille defence before he fired an unstoppable low drive inside the far post to seal the win.

Loic Remy tried to level the scores with a speculative shot but his effort flew over the bar as Marseille succumbed to a home defeat.

Both sides had opportunities to win an entertaining encounter at Stade Gerland but at the final whistle it will have been the French side which was the more aggrieved, with the visitor indebted to two superb Kenneth Vermeer saves late on.

The result means the sides remain separated by three points heading into the final round of fixtures, with second-placed Ajax needing to avoid defeat at home to Group D winner Real Madrid on matchday six to be sure of progressing.

Lyon can still go through if Ajax loses against Madrid and it beats group minnow Dinamo Zagreb by a hatful.

The opening half began with Ajax skipper Jan Vertonghen heading over from a corner on five minutes.

Lyon's Lisandro Lopez brought a good parry from Vermeer before Anthony Reveillere's deflected effort went straight into the clutches of the Ajax goalkeeper on 23 minutes.

Moments later Lisandro looked to have played in Bafetimbi Gomis but the ball ran away from the France striker and the chance was gone.

The best moment of the half arrived on 33 minutes when Jimmy Briand allowed Michel Bastos' pass to run across his body before unleashing a low drive from 25 yards that just went wide.

Lyon committed men forward at the start of the second period but gaps were appearing at the back and Ajax almost profited on 50 minutes.

Christian Eriksen had the freedom of the park to run on goal before laying off for Miralem Sulejmani, whose toe-poke was on target but Hugo Lloris saved with his knee.

Ajax was unlucky not to go ahead on 59 minutes when Sulejmani's low shot took a huge deflection off Aly Cissokho and span over Lloris, but there was just enough momentum to take the ball over the crossbar.

Lyon looked listless in attack and Bastos sought to remedy that on 70 minutes with a shot from the left channel that Vermeer spilled before the Ajax defence mopped up.

Ederson entered the fray for Lisandro on 73 minutes and the Lyon substitute was quickly into the thick of the action, coming close with two chances as the host began to show a little more urgency.

Ederson also provided the spark moments later when his run and lay off resulted in Bastos firing in a brilliant curling effort from the left channel which brought a flying one-handed save from Vermeer.

Lyon had a shout for a penalty in the final minute when Ederson went down under a challenge in the area but the referee waved play on, and when the ball broke on the edge of the box Yoann Gourcuff fired in a shot that went agonisingly wide.

The host's last chance came and went as 90 minutes ticked over when Alexandre Lacazette charged in from the right and fired a shot that looked destined for the top-right corner until Vermeer intervened with another great stop.

Lille had only picked up two points from its opening four games but it recorded its first win in Group B thanks to second-half goals via CSKA defender Vasili Berezutsky, who put into his own net, and Moussa Sow.

The victory on the artificial pitch at the Luzhniki Stadium lifts Lille level on five points with CSKA and Trabzonspor, which plays group leader Inter Milan later.

With playmakers Eden Hazard and Joe Cole impressing, Lille was in charge for most of the game and it could consider itself unfortunate not to have been ahead at the interval.

The first chance fell to Cole in the 15th minute after good link-up play with Hazard. However, after creating space for himself in the area with a superb turn, he saw his low shot comfortably saved by Vladimir Gabulov.

Five minutes after that Gabulov should really have been picking the ball out of his net after Lille defender David Rozehnal won a high ball in the area and his header fell to team-mate Mathieu Debuchy seven yards out, but the France midfielder went for power over placement and his thunderous volley crashed against the crossbar and flew over.

The only time CSKA came close to a goal in the opening period was in the 28th minute when Alan Dzagoev's inswinging corner was missed by Rozehnal at the near post and Lille goalkeeper Mickael Landreau did well to keep the ball out one-handed.

Lille had another opening just before half-time when Cole's clever lofted pass was latched onto by Sow, but his close-range effort was blocked by a mixture of Gabulov and Sergei Ignashevich and from the loose ball Franck Beria fired wide.

The French champion had to resign itself to going into half-time on level terms, but it needed just four minutes of the second period to take the lead.

Cole and Florent Balmont combined to leave Sow in a great position on the edge of the area, but the chance looked to have been wasted due to a poor first touch by the striker. However, in trying to clear the danger, CSKA defender Berezutsky inadvertently lobbed his team-mate Gabulov and the ball dropped over the line via underside of the crossbar.

That goal forced CSKA to push more men forward, but that also gave Lille chance to hit it on the break and the visitor had another good chance in the 61st minute when Cole's scooped pass put in Sow, but Gabulov did well to parry his dipping first-time shot.

Lille did not have to wait much longer to double the lead though, with Sow finding the back of the net in the 64th minute.

Hazard's superb pass picked out the run of Cole and although the on-loan Liverpool man's effort hit the inside of the post, Sow beat Gabulov to the loose ball to slide in his side's second.

CSKA briefly threatened a response when Aleksandrs Cauna's long-range shot fizzed just wide of the top corner, but Lille also had chances to increase the lead with Gabulov denying Debuchy and Hazard, and Idrissa Gana Gueye blazing over.

The Spanish champion said in a statement that although Le Monde's appeal against the club's successful defamation suit in 2008 was rejected on Monday, the fine was reduced from 300,000 euros ($400,400) to 15,000 euros ($20,020) plus court costs.

Le Monde was also ordered to publish a copy of the court's decision in print and online.

Le Monde wrote in December 2006 that it had seen handwritten notes by Eufemiano Fuentes over 'preparation plans' for Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Fuentes was previously arrested in Operation Puerto - Spain's biggest doping investigation.

Last weekend's 2-1 home defeat to Juventus was Inter's fifth loss in nine league games and left it one place above the Serie A relegation zone.

But Inter, which won 1-0 at Lille two weeks ago, is top of Group B and strengthened its grip through Walter Samuel's header and Diego Milito's second-half strike before Vinicius De Melo pulled a late goal back for Lille.

Inter started like men possessed as Milito hit the bar in the second minute with a lofted shot before Cristian Chivu had an effort blocked by Benoit Pedretti less than a minute later.

An entertaining opening saw Mauro Zarate's effort saved by Mickael Landreau and Pedretti drill a shot wide at the other end. Pedretti was again off target a minute later while team-mate Ireneusz Jelen had an effort blocked from inside the box.

Zarate forced a save from Landreau with his fizzing 18th-minute shot and seconds later the deadlock was broken.

Wesley Sneijder's corner was typically dangerous and centre-back Samuel was happy to capitalise as he powered home the header.

Inter goalkeeper Luca Castellazzi had to be alert to save from both Eden Hazard - a shot from 35 yards which he parried away - and Jelen, whose effort was comfortably caught.

Lille striker Moussa Sow then belatedly got involved with an off-target shot from 20 yards before Zarate's lacklustre effort was saved and Dejan Stankovic's overhead kick flew over.

Milito fired over early in the second half before Hazard was also off target at the other end.

Further Milito chances came and went while Lille defender David Rozehnal saw a shot go over.

Inter was 2-0 up in the 65th minute when Javier Zanetti whipped the ball in and Milito connected to finally get himself on the scoresheet.

Lille playmaker Joe Cole had two efforts which were off target and the French champion showed signs of a fightback when De Melo lobbed Castellazzi in the 83rd minute, but it was too little, too late.

The Portugal forward struck from a free-kick and a penalty to sink Lyon and earn his side a fourth successive win in Group D.

Lyon played with pride and had its chances, but Ronaldo was the only man able to find the clinical touch in front of goal.

Jimmy Briand was first to test visiting goalkeeper Iker Casillas, while Hugo Lloris held Ronaldo's long-range strike.

The France keeper then had to tip over Karim Benzema's effort before Dejan Lovren's block denied Ronaldo.

But Real took the lead when Yoann Gourcuff's push on Benzema allowed Ronaldo to find the net with a fierce low free-kick from inside the D.

Xabi Alonso had a trademark effort from his own half, which was sailing wide even before Lloris shooed the goal-line official aside to gather the ball.

Briand's deflected strike was saved by Casillas before Lovren again rescued Lyon by blocking Angel Di Maria's shot.

But the Croatia defender then injured himself volleying clear after Ronaldo had set up a shooting chance with a delicious piece of trickery but seen a weak wayward effort stabbed away by Mouhamadou Dabo.

Mesut Ozil shot feebly at Lloris and Lyon then threatened in first-half stoppage-time, with Casillas tipping Gourcuff's effort over after Bafetimbi Gomis sent his team-mate clear.

Bakary Kone, Lovren's replacement, headed straight at Casillas early in the second half after he was not flagged offside from Gourcuff's free-kick.

Lloris was then played into trouble by his own defence and had to slide to clear from the onrushing Benzema.

The keeper then dived to push an awkward bouncing shot from Ronaldo around his near post and Kone was lucky to escape after handling Sergio Ramos' header from the resulting corner.

But another marginal penalty call two minutes later went in Madrid's favour after Ronaldo tangled with Dabo and picked himself up to fire home his landmark goal.

Di Maria's nerve deserted him as he ran clear on Lloris before Lyon went close to pulling a goal back, Briand heading Gourcuff's corner against the bar and Kone nodding another flag-kick from the same player wide.

Substitute Alexandre Lacazette headed Gourcuff's deep cross over and Kim Kallstrom swung a free-kick onto the roof of the net. Briand then poked wide as Casillas advanced, meaning Real preserved its clean sheet.

Ajax's hammering of Dinamo Zagreb means top spot is not yet assured, though the Dutch side - five points behind - faces a Lyon side which on this evidence will provide a stern test before taking on Real on matchday six.

The Gunners recorded a memorable 5-3 win at Stamford Bridge at the weekend to continue their great run of league form going but it was followed by an average performance against an attacking Marseille side and Wenger reckons the two performances were linked.

He said: "(It took it out of us) emotionally more than physically maybe. It is difficult to be on a high three days later but we still had the opportunities.

"(Aaron) Ramsey in the first half had two great chances and Gervinho had a great chance. In a game like that you expect to take one of those chances."

The result means Arsenal did not manage to confirm safe passage to the first knockout round but it remain favourite to top Group F, while Marseille sits second.

A late Ramsey strike separated the two sides in a closely-fought encounter in France a fortnight ago and Wenger was impressed with Didier Deschamps' side again.

"It was a game where we were still physically not the strongest and Marseille started stronger but I still feel in the first half we had chances to win the game," he said.

"You have to give credit to Marseille, they defended very well and stopped us from playing.

"The positives are that we didn't concede a goal and Marseille had one shot on target and we know in the final third we can do better."

Despite a free-flowing first half, the weekend exertions certainly began to show after the break as Arsenal managed to keep the visitor at bay but the majority of the 59,961 crowd were sent home disappointed, with a Robin van Persie chip the only opportunity of note in a poor second period.

The Netherlands international had been rested for the game after his heroics in recent weeks - including a headline-grabbing hat-trick against Chelsea.

He was introduced by Wenger just after the hour mark, although Wenger refuted suggestions his captain was a 'one-man team'.

He said: "He (Van Persie) had a great chance when he came on and he tried to chip the keeper. We have to accept that but overall I believe that you cannot just say that one player always makes the difference."

The clean sheet was certainly a boost for Wenger after he had seen his defence concede goals in eight of its last 10 matches, with the 8-2 thrashing at the hands of Manchester United back in August still hanging heavily over the club.

Wenger said: "It is not all perfect but we have rebuilt the back four.

"(Thomas) Vermaelen had a good game and (Per) Mertesacker was solid tonight, (Andre) Santos as well and (Carl) Jenkinson has just come back - he lacks experience in some situations but overall he did all right."

Deschamps was pleased with his side's efforts throughout the match but did feel it could have taken all three points.

He said: (I am) content at what I saw - there is a sense that with a little more determination, it is likely that we could have won.

"We had a lot of strikes that have not gone far away against an opponent in top form. It's a good point."

With a home game against Olympiacos and a trip to Borussia Dortmund remaining Deschamps is aware of what is required but he still bemoaned the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Stade Velodrome 13 days ago.

"It is well positioned," he said."

"We lost stupidly and unjustly against Arsenal but we cannot go back, but tonight we can move forward. There are two matches (remaining) and we know what needs to be done."

The north London side had come into the Group F encounter hoping for the victory that would see it progress to the knockout stages for the 12th successive season, although a mixture of resolute defending and poor finishing put paid to that.

Arsenal looked weary from the exertions of last weekend's 5-3 victory at Chelsea and lacked the cutting edge brought by talisman Robin van Persie, who started on the bench against the French outfit.

While the home side was frustrated at its inability to emulate last month's win at the Stade Velodrome, a point was the least Marseille deserved from a plucky performance.

Didier Deschamps' side started with a free-flowing attacking formation in which brothers Andre and Jordan Ayew shone, especially in a first half it dominated for the most part.

Arsenal managed to keep the visitor at bay but the majority of the 59,961 crowd at the Emirates Stadium were sent home disappointed, with a Van Persie chip the only opportunity of note in a poor second period.

Heading into the clash, Arsene Wenger made two changes to the side that beat Chelsea at the weekend.

Johan Djourou and captain Van Persie were dropped to the bench, with Carl Jenkinson and Park Ju-young coming in in their place.

Marseille also made two changes to its starting line-up, bringing in Mathieu Valbuena and Alou Diarra.

The pair's inclusion was part of an attack-minded philosophy adopted by OM at the Emirates Stadium and one that almost paid dividends immediately.

Andre Ayew jinked down the left flank and fired in a low cross that his brother, Jordan, almost flicked home within the opening minutes.

Marseille continued to dominate the opening exchanges as the Ayew brothers dazzled Arsenal's backline, with Andre poking just wide after some neat interplay in the fifth minute.

Loic Remy was the architect of that opportunity and he saw a goalbound shot blocked moments later, before Theo Walcott was denied by a sprawling Steve Mandanda save at the other end.

Gervinho was next to test Marseille captain Mandanda, before a deep cross by Andre Santos was almost converted at the back post by Aaron Ramsey.

Arsenal was now controlling play and defending deep, aware of the threat Marseille posed on the counter-attack.

But despite the home side's best efforts, OM was still finding space in the attacking third and Remy came close with a low drive after a neat one-two with Benoit Cheyrou.

Wenger's side was also looking dangerous on the break and, after Gervinho saw a drive stopped superbly by Mandanda, hesitation saw Park and then Ramsey waste decent opportunities to score.

Diarra was booked for a foul on the latter as Marseille struggled to keep the Arsenal attack at bay, with the resulting free-kick curled just wide by Mikel Arteta.

The second period started in the same manner in which the opening 45 minutes ended, with Arsenal dominating possession but failing to create any clear chances.

Gervinho and Park were both struggling to produce the moment of magic that would force an equaliser, which led Wenger to replace the latter with talisman Van Persie in the 62nd minute.

The Netherlands international received a standing ovation from the home faithful on his introduction, as did Ramsey when he was taken off in favour of Tomas Rosicky moments later.

Arsenal looked to be struggling after its weekend exertions at Stamford Bridge as the match petered out into a tepid affair.

Neither side showed any cutting edge and the match seemed set for a draw, leading Wenger to make his last roll of the dice with the out-of-sorts Gervinho replaced by Andrey Arshavin.

Moments later, out of nothing, Van Persie wriggled free only to waste the best opportunity of the half. The Arsenal skipper was released by an exquisite throughball from Rosicky, although his audacious chip was thwarted with ease by Mandanda.

It was to be the Gunners' only chance of note as the clock ran down and OM pressed for the all-important goal.

After Jordan Ayew's header flew wide, substitute Morgan Amalfitano shot across the face of goal before then seeing a cross blocked by Per Mertesacker.

The two teams had met in the league last weekend, with PSG running out a 2-0 winner at the Parc des Princes.

A similar result looked to be on the cards when the visitor went ahead through goals from Jean-Christophe Bahebeck (16) and Mevlut Erding (20).

But Younousse Sankhare pulled one back from the penalty spot for Dijon on the half-hour mark, with Florin Berenguer hitting an equaliser three minutes later.

A 62nd-minute spot-kick from Brice Jovial then gave Dijon the edge, which eventually proved enough to take them through to the next round.

Lyon knocked out St Etienne with a 2-1 away win amid scenes of trouble in the stands.

Jimmy Briand had given Lyon the lead five minutes before half-time but the when the visitor was awarded a penalty in the 73rd minute, the referee was forced to take the players off the pitch as flares were thrown onto the pitch.

When the sides eventually returned, Michel Bastos made it 2-0 from the spot, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang rescuing a late consolation goal for the host.

Lille comfortably saw off Sedan 3-1.

Benoit Pedretti's 35th minute strike was soon followed by a Joe Cole goal, and Ireneusz Jelen put Lille in complete control in the 70th minute.

Sedan got the consolation of an 80th minute penalty from Abdoulay Diaby.

Livio Nabab scored in the 116th minute to send Caen through at the expense of 10-man Auxerre with a 2-1 extra-time win.

Nabab had got the opener in the 25th minute, but soon saw it cancelled out by Ben Sahar.

Auxerre was reduced to ten men with the 51st minute dismissal of Willy Boly, but hung on to send the game to extra time.

With penalties looming, Nabab's second sent Caen through.

Penalties were needed to seperate Le Mans and Rennes after 120 goalless minutes, with Le Mans triumphing 4-1.

Lorient was a 2-1 away winner over the 10 men of Montpellier thanks to substitute Joel Campbell.

Innocent Emeghara had put Lorient ahead in the 14th minute, and Montpellier's problems grew with a 55th minute dismissal of Garry Bocaly.

Olivier Giroud nevertheless equalised in the 65th minute, but there was a further twist as Campbell scored what proved to be the winner four minutes later.

A brace from Xavier Pentecote sent Nice through with a 2-1 win over Sochaux, with a late strike from Abdoul Camara not enough to get the visitor back into the game.

Jimmy Briand fired Les Gones in front at Stade Metropole, but Moussa Sow drew the host level on the stroke of half-time.

Second-half strikes from Marko Basa and substitute Joe Cole then settled the match to move Lille four points off top spot.

Two goals from Nene saw Paris Saint-Germain past Dijon 2-0 and open up a three-point lead at the summit.

The Brazilian winger scored at the end of each half to secure Antoine Kombouare's men their fifth league win of the season at the Parc des Princes.

Feret scored with 19 minutes remaining. Substitute Razak Boukari provided the assist, with Feret taking plenty of time before firing past Oliver Sorin with a fiery left-footed effort.

Victory puts Rennes fourth in the table, one behind Lille.

Inspired by the enterprising Benjamin Corgnet, Dijon gave its host several uncomfortable moments in the first half before Nene tapped in Jeremy Menez's low centre to give Paris the lead three minutes before half-time.

Goalkeeper Baptiste Reynet kept Dijon in the game with a fine reflex stop to keep out a Kevin Gameiro header, but Nene made sure of the three points with a wicked low shot from 25 metres in the final minute.

"He had a good game," said PSG coach Antoine Kombouare of his side's match-winner. "He can hold on to the ball and do harm to the opposition defence.

"It's also a response to those who said there was a (Javier) Pastore dependence. When he (Pastore) doesn't play as well, the others can step in. The danger can come from anywhere."

PSG and Dijon will resume hostilities quickly as they are due to meet in the French League Cup on Wednesday.

In Sunday's other afternoon game, a neatly taken 74th-minute goal by midfielder Julien Feret earned Rennes a 1-0 success at Auxerre that provisionally lifted the Brittany side into third place.

Defending champion Lille host fourth-placed Lyon later on Sunday in one of the most eagerly anticipated games of the season to date.

Ahead of kick-off, Lyon trailed PSG by six points, with Lille a point further back in fifth place.

Both teams endured mid-week disappointments in the Champions League, with OL thrashed 4-0 by Real Madrid and Lille's last-16 aspirations seriously compromised by a 1-0 defeat at home to Inter Milan.

On Saturday, Marseille ignored protests from angry fans - including banners calling for the return of former coach Eric Gerets - to register just its second victory of the season with a 2-0 win at home to Ajaccio.

Ghana midfielder Andre Ayew claimed both goals, having seen a first-half penalty saved by Guillermo Ochoa, to lift OM to 12th in the table.

Second-placed Montpellier had drawn level on points with PSG after a 3-1 victory at Caen that came despite the 64th-minute dismissal of midfielder Joris Marveaux.

"The judge said there was no precedent, in other words he rejected our demand," the Bayern Munich ace's lawyer Carlo-Alberto Brusa told AFP.

Ribery's legal team wanted the book banned and argued that it infringed the player's image rights as it carried a photograph of him, to which he has the rights, on the front cover.

"We have won, the book is not banned," said a spokesman for publishing company Editions.

The 28-year-old Ribery, who was also ordered to pay 3,000 euros in costs to the publishers, was placed under investigation in 2010 for his involvement in an alleged under-age call-girl scandal.

His lawyers said they will appeal the decision.

Gomis put the French side ahead midway through the first half with a classy chip before Kone effectively sealed three points with a tap-in two minutes before the break.

It meant Lyon marked its 100th UEFA Champions League game with victory as it dominated its Croatian opponent to move three points clear in second behind Real Madrid.

Lyon should have taken an early lead when Gomis squandered a good chance in the third minute as he fired over from just six yards after the ball had broken loose in the box.

The French side was dominating the early proceedings, Jimmy Briand unable to direct his header on target from Michel Bastos' cross while Maxime Gonalons shot over the bar.

Lyon's pressure paid off midway through the half when Gomis opened the scoring with an impressive goal as he found himself one-on-one with Ivan Kelava and chipped the goalkeeper from 20 yards, the ball going into the top left-hand corner.

The host was overpowering the Croatian side, Mateo Kovacic just poking the ball away for a corner after Anthony Reveillere had glided past him on the right wing.

Dinamo relieved the pressure as Luis Ibanez's free-kick hit the wall before team-mate Adrian Calello put a shot over the bar.

Ibanez put in a low ball from the left which Fatos Beqiraj just failed to reach as the visitor began to work its way into the game.

Both sides fired long-range shots over the bar before Gomis stabbed at the ball and sent it high when he could have doubled his side's lead.

However, his miss was cancelled out four minutes later when Kone put Lyon 2-0 up.

Clement Grenier whipped in a corner from the left and Kone found himself unmarked in front of goal, just side-footing the ball into the net.

Grenier was then denied by Kelava on the stroke of half-time as the French side cruised into the break.

Dinamo started the second half positively, Ibanez and Josip Simunic seeing shots blocked.

Ibanez then laid the ball off to Jorge Sammir whose shot from the edge of the box was comfortably caught by Hugo Lloris.

Lloris also punched clear from an Ibanez corner before the keeper made a crucial save, diving to keep out Tonel's goalbound header.

While Dinamo was enjoying more possession, the host was still threatening on the counter-attack, Briand halted as he ran towards goal while Bastos shot a free-kick over the bar.

Calello and Ibanez both had shots on goal for Dinamo while Lloris parried an attempt by Jerko Leko but time ran out for Dinamo as Lyon enjoyed a highly-deserved victory.

Moussa Sow had given the Ligue 1 champion a 31st-minute lead with his second goal in as many games - but Colman's 75th-minute spot-kick ensured parity.

The host, only in the tournament because compatriot Fenerbahce had been kicked out due to match-fixing allegations, came into the game on the back of a memorable 1-0 win over Inter Milan at the San Siro.

However, it struggled in the first half. Didier Zokora had its only chance before the break - and the midfielder's long-range effort was well off target.

Lille looked the more likely scorer before the interval - and after Eden Hazard had tried his luck in the 29th minute, it took the lead with its first shot on goal.

David Rozehnal's ball was not cut out by Marek Cech and Sow was able to net from a tight angle, through the legs of goalkeeper Tolga Zengin.

The striker was also on target in the 2-2 home draw against CSKA Moscow on matchday one.

It was nearly 2-0 four minutes later when Hazard squared for Sow - but the Senegalese international was just unable to make contact, to the relief of the home side.

The chance followed a breakaway which came about as a result of referee Bjorn Kuipers inadvertently getting in the way of a Trabzonspor attack.

The half finished on a sour note when Cech was carried off on a stretcher after a reckless challenge by Lille midfielder Joe Cole, who was booked.

Cech returned for the second half - and it was the home side which threatened first with Serkan Balci shooting high and wide twice in as many minutes.

Soon after Sow came close to a second goal for the visitor, outmuscling defender Giray Kacar but shooting just wide of the far post.

An open start to the second half continued when Colman saw a shot from the edge of the penalty area saved low down by Mickael Landreau.

At the other end, Cole should have done better than fire at Zengin when unmarked seven yards from goal in the 54th minute.

Adrian saw a left-foot shot deflected wide in the 71st for a corner which came to nothing, as the host sought an equaliser.

And it got it in the 75th minute, after Mathieu Debuchy handled Paulo Henrique's cross inside the penalty area.

Landreau got a hand to the resulting spot-kick - but could not keep it out and the Turkish side had its point.

A victory would have seen the hosts usurp Lyon at the summit and they looked on course when Youssouf Hadji put them ahead four minutes before half-time, tapping in after Jonathan Pitroipa's effort was parried by Stephane Ruffier.

But Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang levelled after 56 minutes by converting Fabien Lemoine's cross.

A second-half collapse saw Sochaux's goals-against tally for the week fly out to 10 as they were crushed 4-1 by Auxerre.

Five days after shipping six against Rennes, Mehmed Bazdarevic's men looked to have banished any lingering memories of that drubbing when they took a second-minute lead through Modibo Maiga.

But Alain Traore equalised six minutes after the break and by the end of the 67th minute Dennis Oliech had registered a 15-minute hat-trick to stun Sochaux and push his side into 11th place.

Ajaccio came from behind to ensure Brest's winless start to the Ligue 1 season continued.

Nolan Roux put the home team ahead in the 61st minute but the lead lasted only five minutes before Richard Socrier hit back.

The point was Ajaccio's second from four games on its travels since its summer return to the top flight, as well as Brest's sixth draw in eight matches.

Montpellier leads Ligue 1 by two points after seven matches and meets fourth-placed PSG in this weekend's stand-out clash at Stade de la Mosson on Saturday night (Sunday AEST).

"We're playing a gala match against the centre of the world, or more precisely, the French capital," said Girard on Friday.

"It's a timely match against a team that has made a huge effort in terms of recruitment. We're in the best psychological condition to play this match. And we're the leaders, so we'll have to deal with that too."

Montpellier has already beaten champion Lille this season and put four unanswered goals past Rennes, which has convinced Girard that his side has nothing to fear from the league's glamour teams.

"We've seen that we can cause the big guns problems, and that includes Paris," he added. "These teams are ahead of us and are playing for the title.

"When a gentleman calls, you have to welcome him appropriately. We'll try to make sure we're up to the task."

PSG's new-look forward line of Nene, Jeremy Menez, record signing Javier Pastore and striker Kevin Gameiro have begun to establish an understanding in recent games and Girard says his defenders will have to be on their toes.

"The danger can come from anywhere," he said. "There's not one guy you have to watch out for, but five or six. It's the top level."

Despite the new status enjoyed by PSG since its takeover by Qatar Sports Investments, Montpellier's four-goal top scorer Olivier Giroud says his side cannot afford to take to the field with an inferiority complex.

"We don't have much to lose in this match," said the imposing former Tours striker. "We want to be unplayable at home.

"We know that it's a big Paris team that's coming to the Mosson. We'll welcome them as we should with the same willingness, solidarity, commitment and quality of play.

"There's no reason to be afraid or to put ourselves under extra pressure just because it's Paris."

Houllier was forced to quit Aston Villa after only one season in charge after being admitted to hospital in April suffering from chest pains.

The 63-year-old, who underwent open-heart surgery lasting 11 hours while in charge of Liverpool back in 2001, admitted he was still not right five months after his second setback.

"I've got to admit the fact that, probably, I won't go back into management," he told talkSPORT.

"I'm practically 85 percent.

"I'm still getting there. I need maybe a couple of months.

"It was the dissection of the descending aorta and it was probably not as urgent but it's a bad thing."

Revealing his problem was 'genetic', he added: "Obviously, the profession that I used to have was not the best to keep in good health because of what I have."

Houllier, who will limit his involvement in football to working as a television pundit, endured a difficult season at Villa, amid suggestions of player and fan unrest.

Striker Gabriel Agbonlahor claimed last week he would have quit the club had the Frenchman and assistant Gary McAllister remained in charge, criticising the latter's approach to training.

Houllier leapt to the defence of the Scot, saying: "I was a bit surprised that one of the players was having a go at his training sessions.

"Because, truly, he is a modern, very up-to-date and very good coach.

"In fact, some players really improved.

"We could see some progress in Ashley Young and Stewart Downing in the way they played and the way they even increased their technical abilities."

Manchester United and Liverpool swooped for Young and Downing respectively this northern summer, with the former playing a starring role in his new club's best ever start to a Premier League season and helping put England on the brink of European championship qualification.

Houllier said: "He's a Champions League-level type of player.

"He works hard, he can really do the job offensive-wise but also when he has defensive duty, he does it."

Downing has also impressed for club and and country, although Liverpool's bright start has been spoilt by back-to-back defeats at Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur.

Houllier said: "I think they'll finish in the top four.

"I believe in them.

"Don't forget Steven Gerrard is not playing and, when he comes back, he'll make a difference."

Goals by Moussa Sow and Benoit Pedretti had the French champion well in control after an hour of the encounter at Stade Metropole, with its opponent looking out of sorts during a one-sided opening half.

But the Russian side was a different proposition after the break, and after Doumbia reduced the deficit with his first 18 minutes from time, the Ivorian doubled his tally in the final moments to shatter the Lille faithful and seal a share of the spoils.

Neither side appeared willing to commit men forward in a cagey opening period, but the half sparked into life after 20 minutes as first Pedretti fired just over for Lille with an overhead kick, and then Sow fired just wide moments later.

Lille continued to push as the half wore on, with Franck Beria and Florent Balmont forcing Vladimir Gabulov into action in the CSKA goal, while Beria drilled over the visitor's net just after the half-hour.

Eden Hazard, handed his first chance to replicate his glittering domestic form on the Champions League stage, also drew a stop from Gabulov eight minutes from the break before CSKA finally came to the party with Aleksandrs Cauna firing just wide.

Gabulov parried again from Hazard after 44 minutes, but moments later the CSKA goalkeeper was finally beaten, although in unfortunate circumstances.

Having been forced into action once again to thwart Pedretti, Gabulov was helpless from the resulting corner when Ludovic Obraniak's centre fell to Sow, who struck the post with a low shot.

David Rozehnal kept the move alive by turning the ball back into the danger area, from where Sow produced a cheeky finish to finally break the deadlock.

The second half started at a much greater tempo than the first, with CSKA in particular looking fired up after its listless display in the opening 45 minutes.

Zoran Tosic served notice of the Russian side's intentions with a fierce drive in the 55th minute that produced a superb parry from Lille goalkeeper Mickael Landreau.

And two minutes later that save took on even greater significance when Lille doubled the lead.

Balmont was the architect, laying the ball off for Pedretti who produced a delightful curling effort into the top-right corner.

The lead might have been three goals when Marko Basa brought another stop from Gabulov after 65 minutes, although CSKA was far from finished and might have got one back a minute later when Vagner Love's effort was held by Landreau.

But CSKA grabbed a lifeline after 72 minutes when Tosic crossed from the left and Doumbia was on hand to steer the ball home from six yards.

The goal sent the host into its shell for the final stages, Hazard's weak free-kick after 84 minutes its only opening in what time remained.

And with the Lille backline rocking, the inevitable happened.

Alan Dzagoev opened up the home defence with a neat flick on from the right channel, the ball running through to Doumbia who finished unerringly with a first-time shot to rescue an unlikely point for his team.

Janssen's skills often kept the French side pinned back in its penalty area but the visitor ended the night happiest as it seeks to continue a run which has taken it past the group stages every year since 2003.

Lyon had already proved its Champions League pedigree this season by knocking out tough Russian side Rubin Kazan while Ajax, as Eredivisie champion, qualified directly.

And it made its intentions clear in the early stages of a group which also includes Real Madrid, naming Bafetimbi Gomis as the only out-and-out striker on its team-sheet.

Janssen's attempt to crack the resolute Lyon defence started as early as the eighth fifth minute when his corner found Derk Boerrigter who missed with a header from six yards.

Boerrigter missed from another Janssen corner in the 12th minute before Lyon had its first chance, Bakary Kone flashing wide with an acrobatic overhead kick from a Kim Kallstrom free-kick.

Janssen's set-pieces continued to cause the French side problems with keeper Hugo Lloris punching clear another corner before Gomis fired over for Lyon at the other end.

Ajax had a lucky escape on the half-hour when Michel Bastos found space in the box and let fly with a volley which sailed over the bar when it ought to have found the target.

And relieved at Lyon's failure to snatch the lead, Ajax pressed towards the break, Miralem Sulejmani somehow missing with an easy header and Jan Vertonghen nodding wide from yet another Janssen corner.

Lyon set about the second half with renewed purpose, Bastos forcing a rare save out of Kenneth Vermeer and Kallstrom firing wide before Vermeer was in action again to punch clear a Clement Grenier corner.

Boerrigter was off target again after 65 minutes for Ajax and that was the last real chance for the home side, with both sides seemingly happy to settle for a point on opening night.

Lyon still had time to almost steal it at the death, Jimmy Briand taking advantage of a mistake by Gregory Van der Wiel to race through on goal, only for the defender to track back and make a superb saving tackle.

In injury-time, late Lyon substitute Gueida Fofana had a chance to make a name for himself with his first touch but he shot well wide of target and moments later the referee blew for full-time.

Substitute Julien Toudic got the goal in the 78th minute to see Lens through.

Evian's new signing Christian Poulsen was not in the match squad after joining from Liverpool the previous day.

The 26-year-old suffered the injury during his side's Coupe de la Ligue victory over Bordeaux and joins Alejandro Alonso and Yoann Andreu in the treatment room with similar injuries.

Coach Christophe Galtier told L'Equipe: "It's bad news for Loic, he is very upset. I am sure he will face the situation head-on and will return stronger and in top form after the winter break."

The Ligue 1 side twice trailed through Alharbi El Jadeyaoui (11) and Charly Charrier (30) but Antony Knockaert's own goal after 28 minutes levelled the first time and Jeremie Aliadiere equalised seven minutes from time.

The former Arsenal striker, on from the bench, then won it for the visitor in the 113th minute.

In the night's other third-round match Omar Kossoko helped Auxerre through as his 74th minute strike saw it beat Nancy 2-1.

Anthony Le Tallec had put Auxerre in front only for Samba Diakite to level quickly. However, Kossoko scored the decider and Diakite was sent off 10 minutes from time.

At a press conference on August 10, Blanc offered journalists a frank opinion on how Nasri had been performing for the France team.

"He must do better because he has the ability to do better," said Blanc.

"I expect more from him. We have shown great confidence in him, and he must return that confidence."

Nasri, who is with the France squad for this week's Euro 2012 qualifiers, said Blanc should have kept his thoughts for a private discussion rather than a public airing.

"You could say that he rates me. But saying this in public is not going to help things improve," said Nasri, who was a controversial omission by then coach Raymond Domenech from the 2010 World Cup squad.

"I have a good relationship with him (Blanc) and especially (assistant coach) Jean-Louis Gasset.

"I know they have great confidence in me but I would prefer it if the coach told me certain things face to face.

"Now, if that is really how he is thinking at the moment, then it is up to me to do more and prove him wrong," said Nasri whose City career got under way spectacularly on Sunday, setting up three of their goals in the 5-1 thrashing of Tottenham.

Blanc, meanwhile, denied he had been playing games with either Nasri or Bayern midfielder Franck Ribery, who has been the subject of similar comments.

"I am not playing with anyone but I say this because I love them and appreciate them a lot," he said.

The 24-year-old Turkey international has attracted the attention of a number of teams in Europe, including Rennes, Galatasaray and French champion Lille.

Erdinc is under contract with PSG until 2013 and the arrival of several players at the Parc des Princes over the northern summer, including frontman Kevin Gameiro, had raised hopes among other teams he would be allowed to leave.

But a statement on PSG's official website today said: "Paris St Germain is pleased to announce that striker Mevlut Erdinc will continue to play this season under the badge of PSG.

"Despite numerous requests from clubs wishing to engage the services of Mevlut, the club and the player have decided to continue their adventure together."

Erdinc joined PSG from Sochaux in 2009 and has scored 29 goals in all competitions for the capital club.

Watch highlights of all the UCL qualifying matches

Arsene Wenger's fortnight from hell was in danger of reaching a new low when Antonio Di Natale levelled the play-off in the first half of the second leg.

Yet, the Gunners showed the kind of character Wenger has always insisted was present - but which has so often been lacking - to turn the game on its head thanks to goals from new captain Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott and a brilliant Wojciech Szczesny penalty save, earning them a 2-1 win on the night and 3-1 aggregate success.

The win eased the pressure on a beleaguered Wenger, who was spared the inevitable questions about his future which would have arisen had Arsenal failed to reach the lucrative Champions League proper for the first time in 14 years.

The game was therefore a defining moment in the club's season and possibly the career of the manager, who has endured one of the worst fortnights of his near 15-year reign.

The Frenchman has now lost both his star players and has had to contend with a raft of injuries, suspensions and charges from the game's governing bodies.

He was at least given a stay of execution from his latest touchline ban and was in the dugout in what was 31-degree heat in the Italian north-east.

There were even rumours before kick-off, after Fenerbahce's expulsion from the competition, that Arsenal might be reinstated should it be eliminated.

But UEFA put paid to those by confirming during the game that Trabzonspor would replace its fellow Turkish outfit.

Arsenal did not start like a side uncertain of its fate, Walcott going close after skipping past Neuton and seeing a shot beaten away.

The game was wide open and Di Natale saw his first-time half-volley rightly ruled out for offside.

Arsenal continued to look a threat but it almost paid for giving Di Natale far too much room, Pablo Armero unable to get a clean header on the striker's cross.

Udinese should have been ahead midway through the half, Di Natale turning Mauricio Isla's cross onto the post from four yards.

But it was Walcott who wasted the chance of the half in the 33rd minute, Gervinho putting the ball on a plate for the first-leg matchwinner, who somehow shot straight at Samir Handanovic, the goalkeeper also blocking Van Persie's rebound.

Di Natale then tested Szczesny from the tightest of angles but the keeper could do nothing to stop the veteran striker six minutes before the break, the 33-year-old looping a brilliant header from Giampiero Pinzi's cross in off the post.

The restart saw Wenger take a chance on the fitness of Tomas Rosicky, replacing Emmanuel Frimpong, who himself had been a bold selection after his sending-off against Liverpool last weekend.

Arsenal's surprisingly sparse away following did their best to gee up the visitor, which became involved in some needless handbags that saw Isla booked for dissent.

And it silenced the home fans completely 10 minutes in when Gervinho got the better of Medhi Benatia and squared for Van Persie to slot home from six yards.

Two minutes later, disaster appeared to strike again when Thomas Vermaelen was adjudged to have handled Di Natale's corner and Olegario Benquerenca pointed to the spot.

But Szczesny produced a wondrous one-handed save to tip the striker's penalty over the crossbar.

Udinese went for broke, allowing more space for the excellent Gervinho, who was showing just how much Arsenal will miss him when his domestic ban resumes at Manchester United this weekend.

But it was, fittingly, Walcott who killed the contest in the 69th minute after outpacing the hapless Benatia and slotting past Handanovic.

Bacary Sagna was booked, as were Benatia, Walcott and Carl Jenkinson as tempers frayed amid the enormity of what was at stake.

Di Natale dragged wide trying to salvage some pride for the home side and also stung the palms of Szczesny with a free-kick from a tight angle after Isla was withdrawn for German Dernis.

The home fans immediately began to flock for the exit, with more than five minutes remaining, their misery compounded when Benatia was carried off on a stretcher.

Arsenal ran down the clock and it almost added a third goal when Van Persie and substitute Armand Traore both shot straight at Handanovic.

Lyon booked its place in the group stage as a 1-1 draw in Russia gave it a 4-2 aggregate win over Rubin Kazan.

Trailing 3-1 from the first leg, Rubin knew it needed two goals to advance but none were forthcoming in a tense first half.

Bibras Natkho finally struck 13 minutes from the end to give his side hope, but Bakari Kone headed home 10 minutes later to ensure Lyon reached the group stage for the 12th straight season.

Benfica stormed to a 3-1 win over FC Twente giving it a 5-3 aggregate success.

After a goalless first half, Axel Witsel's double, sandwiching a strike from Luisao, put the Portuguese side firmly in control, meaning a late reply from Bryan Ruiz was academic.

Goals from Marek Bakos and Michal Duris ensured there were no mistakes for Viktoria Plzen, which qualified for the group stage for the first time as a 2-1 win over FC Copenhagen gave it a 5-2 aggregate victory.

Christian Bolanos put the visitor ahead in the first half but once the Czech side had levelled midway through the second period it was plain sailing.

BATE Borisov won 2-0 at Sturm Graz to see off the Austrian side 3-1 on aggregate thanks to goals either side of half-time from Alyaksandr Valadzko and Marko Simic.

Ulises Davila, Jorge Enriquez and Edson Rivera scored unanswered goals after Alexandre Lacazette had put France ahead with an eighth-minute header.

The third-place finish was Mexico's best in the tournament and adds to an impressive few months for its national teams.

Mexico's senior team defeated the United States in the final of the regional Gold Cup tournament in June, and Mexico won the Under-17 World Cup title in July, defeating Uruguay in the final.

The fourth-place finish was also the best for France in the event.

Danilo opened the scoring after just nine minutes, heading home Alex's corner after being left unmarked at the back post, and although France responded well it was Portugal which added a second five minutes before the break.

Kalidou Koulibaly fouled Danilo inside the penalty area, and Nelson Oliveira made no mistake from the spot.

France continued to enjoy the better opportunities but the closest it came to scoring was when Danilo's clearance hit his own post before Loic Nego headed the rebound just wide.

Portugal will now take on the winner of the Brazil-Mexico semi-final clash in the final.

France will now face Portugal in Wednesday's (Thursday morning AEST) semi-final.

Alexandre Lacazette scored in the 50th minute to give France the lead.

Maduabuchi Ejike then equalised for Nigeria.

Gueida Fofana scored in the 102nd minute to give France a 2-1 lead and two minutes later Lacazette picked up his second of the match to seal the victory.

Ejike scored his second goal in the 111th minute to give Nigeria a chance.

It is the first time France has reached the semi-finals of the Under-20 World Cup. Portugal has twice won the title.

The agreement with FFF president Noel Le Graet still needs to be ratified by the executive committee of the federation at a meeting in Paris on August 4 but it appears likely it will rubber-stamp it in order to stop the case going to an employment tribunal.

Domenech had claimed €2.9 million ($3.8 million) in compensation while FFF has been seeking to reclaim World Cup bonuses that Domenech refuses to return.

Earlier this month, Le Graet expressed his hope that a "definitive solution" would be found in early August.

Domenech led France to a runner-up finish at the 2006 World Cup in Germany but the rest of his tenure, which began in 2004, became synonymous with failure.

After a group-stage exit at the 2008 European Championship, France was eliminated at the same stage of last year's World Cup with only a single point and a single goal to its credit.

The side's showing in South Africa was overshadowed by a training ground strike by the players, who were protesting after Chelsea forward Nicolas Anelka was excluded from the squad for clashing with Domenech.

FFF was particularly aggrieved that Domenech read out the players' statement to the media explaining why they had elected to go on strike.

He was also criticised for refusing to shake hands with South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira after France's final group game.

The 30-year-old midfielder has signed a two-year contract after his former club was placed in liquidation and demoted to the CFA2, the fifth tier of French football.

Dijon is also considering a move for Matsui's national team colleague Yasuyuki Konno, who is set for a trial period with the club next week.

Deschamps' Marseille side recovered from 3-1 down with five minutes remaining to beat Lille 5-4 in an astonishing encounter between last season's Coupe de France and Ligue 1 winners in Tangiers.

Lille led through Eden Hazard's brace, with goalkeeper Mickael Landreau thwarting OM time and again, and Moussa Sow restored the two-goal cushion after Andre Ayew had pulled one back for Marseille.

But Jeremy Morel (85) and Loic Remy (87) drew OM level and Ayew converted two penalties to complete his hat-trick - with Marko Basa drawing Lille level in between times in a remarkable finish to the game.

The first penalty also saw Lille's Aurelien Chedjou dismissed as he collected a second yellow card.

"It was a crazy match," said Deschamps. "Our best spell game in the first half but we found an inspired Landreau in our way.

"We pulled a goal back when they switched off but they went 3-1 up, that was a blow to the head. And then when Lille thought they had won the match, we came back.

"I cannot be satisfied with our defending when we conceded four goals, but there was a bit of tiredness and you also have the quality of Lille's attackers.

"I am happy because I am on the right side of it. If I put myself in Lille's place, it is cruel. But it was a good advertisement for French football, in terms of spectacle and emotion. That's a good thing."

Controversy surrounded the award of the spot-kick from which Ayew settled the match once and for all.

But Deschamps added: "The second penalty was booed... I haven't seen it since, I was told that 'one penalty was more legitimate than the other'. It was in my favour, so it's easier for me to smile about it."

Opposite number Rudi Garcia acknowledged the contentious decisions but refused to blame them for his team's dramatic late capitulation.

"We can only blame ourselves," he said. "We were at fault, even if there were some dubious decisions.

"We have to regain our composure when we are tired, as we clearly were in the final quarter-hour.

"The dark point is the dismissal of Aurelien Chedjou, as this could affect us in the league."

Nevertheless, he drew encouragement from his side's attacking prowess.

"We managed to score four goals in 90 minutes," he said. "I hope the players can make a good start in Ligue 1. Psychologically, it is important to move on to other things, and to our next game at Nancy."

Landreau added: "We are disappointed because we missed out on a trophy we really wanted to win. Disappointed to have led 3-1 and been pulled back, and to have received the red card.

"We had the game in our hands and we should have held on."

League and French Cup winner last year after a 56-year trophy drought, Lille led 3-1 with five minutes remaining before Marseille drew level through goals from Jeremy Morel and Loic Remy.

Andre Ayew put Marseille ahead for the first time in the match with a penalty on the stroke of full-time, but Lille hit back immediately with a header from new signing Marko Basa.

The match in the Moroccan city of Tangiers looked set for penalties, but Jordan Ayew won another penalty after tumbling theatrically in the Lille box and his elder brother Andre kept his cool to give Marseille victory and complete his hat-trick.

The Champions Trophy, played overseas for the fourth year in a row, usually pits the league champion against the cup winner, but Lille's double triumph obliged Marseille, second last season, to provide the opposition.

Despite having made plain his desire to leave the club, Argentine playmaker Lucho Gonzalez started for Marseille in place of the injured Mathieu Valbuena.

New recruits Morel, Alou Diarra and Morgan Amalfitano were also named in the Marseille starting XI, with Lille coach Rudi Garcia handing starts to his new signings Basa, Benoit Pedretti and Dimitri Payet.

Marseille opened with purpose, Amalfitano rattling the post and Lille goalkeeper Mickael Landreau saving well from Lucho and Stephane Mbia, before Lille took the lead with a neat set-piece in the ninth minute.

Eden Hazard cut back a free-kick from the right towards the edge of the box and after Payet had stepped over the ball, Florent Balmont rattled home a low shot into the bottom-right corner.

Hazard doubled Lille's advantage just before the hour, driving past OM centre-back Souleymane Diawara and burying a crisp shot between the legs of goalkeeper Steve Mandanda.

Ayew pulled a goal back for Marseille with a shot on the turn that went straight through Landreau, but Moussa Sow replied immediately, slipping the ball past Mandanda from Ludovic Obraniak's throughball.

The game looked up for Marseille, but Morel reduced the arrears with a low shot in the 85th minute before Remy equalised by dispatching Lucho's dinked cross with a downward header two minutes later.

Remy's goal proved but a taste of the drama that was to come, with Lille left to curse Jordan Ayew's dive and its own fragility for letting victory slip from its grasp.

The 2011-2012 Ligue 1 season begins on 6 August, with Lille visiting Nancy and 2010 champion Marseille hosting Sochaux.

Lille ended a 55-year wait for silverware by beating Paris St Germain 1-0 in last season's French Cup final and then secured a first league title since 1954 by wrestling the Ligue 1 crown from defending champion Marseille.

The two trophies rewarded a side that has played some of the most attractive football in Europe over the past two years but departures since mean they will never play together again.

France centre-back Adil Rami completed a move to Valencia that was agreed in January, while Ivorian attacker Gervinho joined Arsenal and midfield organiser Yohan Cabaye made an unexpected switch to Newcastle United.

Widely-coveted Belgian winger Eden Hazard remains at the club, however, and Lille moved shrewdly in the transfer market by acquiring like-for-like replacements for his three former team-mates.

Marko Basa, who played under Garcia at Le Mans, will replace Rami in the heart of defence, Dimitri Payet has arrived from St Etienne to take Gervinho's place on the flanks and Benoit Pedretti will take over playmaking duties from Cabaye after joining from Auxerre.

Garcia can also call on Czech centre-back David Rozehnal, after his loan move from Hamburg was made permanent.

Another new signing, right-back Laurent Bonnart, was withdrawn during the 1-0 friendly defeat by St Etienne over the weekend, but Garcia said it was merely a precaution.

"Laurent felt his hamstring tighten up, so that's why I took him off immediately," said the Lille coach, who is without injured first-choice right-back Mathieu Debuchy (back).

"I didn't want to take any risks and jeopardise his participation in Wednesday's Champions Trophy, which would be really bad news."

Lille also has doubts over Polish winger Ludovic Obraniak (calf), Payet (knee) and Brazilian striker Tulio De Melo (periostitis).

The game, which will take place overseas for the fourth straight season, usually pits the league champion against the French Cup winner, but with Lille holding both titles, OM has stepped into the breach.

Didier Deschamps's side has also lost some familiar faces over the northern summer break, with left-back Taye Taiwo joining AC Milan and centre-back Gabriel Heinze arriving at Roma after being released from his contract.

OM moved quickly in the market too, however, with Jeremy Morel, Nicolas N'Koulou, Morgan Amalfitano and Alou Diarra all arriving at Stade Velodrome in the early weeks of the transfer window.

Cameroon international centre-back N'Koulou is suspended for the match at Stade de Tanger, while striker Andre-Pierre Gignac did not travel to Morocco as he continues his recovery from a groin problem.

"In terms of pre-season, we're where we were hoping to be," said Deschamps, whose side lost 2-1 to Udinese in its most recent game last weekend.

"I'm satisfied by the work and the attitude. Things aren't perfect yet, but the players have got the right idea."

The Frenchman, who enjoyed a 16-year career playing in some of Europe's top leagues, has decided to hang up his boots after a long battle against a succession of injuries.

Dabo, capped three times by his country, has been at New England Revolution since February but managed just three appearances for the MLS outfit.

"This is a very tough decision for me, and I'm frustrated to have not been able to help the Revolution more," Dabo told www.revolutionsoccer.net

"I've had some physical issues that I haven't been able to heal, so I've decided to retire and release the club from my contract.

"I very much wish the New England Revolution all of the best and thank them for everything."

Dabo began his career with in his homeland with Rennes in 1995 before stints at Inter Milan, Parma, Atalanta, Monaco and two spells at Lazio.

He also spent two-and-a-half seasons at Manchester City between 2006 to 2008, although his time in England was overshadowed by an infamous incident with City team-mate Joey Barton in May 2007.

Dabo was hospitalised with multiple head injuries in the training-ground altercation, for which Barton received a suspended jail sentence.

Houllier ended his nine-month spell in charge at Villa Park after missing the end of the season following chest pains.

Having experienced heart problems during his time with Liverpool, he accepts he may have to follow doctors' advice if they counsel against a return to the dugout but would have liked to continue at the midlands club when fit again.

"We had a case of unfinished business (at Villa)," he told Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme.

"There was an option of leaving the team to Gary McAllister, who was my assistant, and I would come back in September but the chairman and owner wanted to go another route and I have to respect that. We left on good terms, no acrimony.

"At the moment I just want to make sure I get fit again and then we'll see. But I will follow the doctors' advice and if the advice is not to get back into management I won't.

"The strong advice was not to go back to business until the end of September but they are happy with the recovery."

Houllier, who worked as the technical director of the French Football Federation before taking over at Villa, has suggested if full-time management is beyond him he would consider a less hands-on role within the game.

"I will still definitely be linked with football," he said.

"It is my life, it is my oxygen and if I have to be involved in another way then I will."

Sweden went down 3-1 to Japan in Frankfurt on the same night France was humbled at the hands of two-time winner the USA in Monchengladbach by an identical margin.

While Japan and the Stars and Stripes march on to the final, the French and Swedes will clash having both already secured the two available places at the London 2012 Olympic Games by reaching the semi-finals.

After his side was dominated by Japan, Sweden coach Thomas Dennerby explained why he pulled his squad together on the pitch in Frankfurt to demand it focuses on finishing its campaign with another victory.

"This third-place play-off is very important for us, it is the reason why we got back together on the pitch," said Dennerby.

"I told the players we win and lose together, I said they have to enjoy the next match as we will be fighting for a medal in a few days. We need to recover and not be depressed."

Although Sweden striker Josefine Oqvist opened the scoring with the opening goal after 10 minutes, Japan hit back as striker Nahomi Kawasumi netted goals either side of half-time while captain Homare Sawa poached a header.

France suffered a similar fate.

After Lauren Cheney put the US ahead in Moenchengladbach, Sonia Bompastor equalised for the French before American forwards Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan put the result beyond doubt.

But the French are also determined to finish their campaign on a high with forward Gaetane Thiney insisting: "I think it's important to show that we are the third best team in the world."

France coach Bruno Bini said his side has done exceptionally well to reach the play-off.

"I'm proud of my players. Life's still beautiful because we have earned the right to fight for third place, which is amazing when you consider nobody was talking about us two months ago."

France had only previously played in one World Cup in 2003 where it failed to get out of the group stages.

For Sweden, the prize is bronze and the chance to perform its dance routine - inspired by French rapper Moussier Tombola's hit Logobitombo - one more time for its fans in Germany.

"Thomas said that we could be disappointed, but wanted us to be proud of what we have achieved here and stressed that we have to come together for the game against France," said Sweden defender Charlotte Rohlin.

"We want to be dancing again at the final whistle, knowing that we are the third-best team in the world.

"I want to win that game and every single member of the team wants to win. We are going to fight until the end."

The 35-year-old Frenchman, who was released by City at the end of last season, has accepted the position of football development executive and will help in the development of young players among other responsibilities.

Vieira said: "This role is a fantastic new challenge for me and I am very grateful to Manchester City for offering me this opportunity.

"I have a lot to learn about the non-playing areas of the business but there are many very experienced people here for me to learn from and I am confident that I can make a significant contribution to the club's ongoing success."

Lauren Cheney (9), Abby Wambach (79), and Alex Morgan (82) kept the Americans' bid for an unprecedented third World Cup title after 1991 and 1999 on track, with Sonia Bompastor getting a goal back for France after 55 minutes.

The reigning Olympic champion will play Japan for the title in Frankfurt.

"I think France played very well. We lost our legs in the second half but then we picked it up," said US coach Pia Sundhage.

"Abby, she's just the best. I'm very happy to have her in our team."

Wambach added: "I'm just so proud of this team. Everyone believes in this team and we're all working for each other. We had to play nearly perfect, they got a goal back on us but in the end we're in the finals and that's all that matters."

France coach Bruno Bini lamented missed chances.

"We had a lot of chances and played a very good game except the first ten minutes," said Bini.

"We were as good as we could have been. It was very physical and we stood up to this. But they have a lot of experience. They know how to play at this level and that told today. I thought we could get back to 2-2 but at 3-1 it's over."

Despite the French having most chances at goal in the first half it was the United States which went in with a half-time advantage after Cheney picked up a Heather O'Reilly cross to tap effortlessly into goal after nine minutes.

France's Louisa Necib had a minute earlier seen her strike go over the bar.

A header from Carli Lloyd went over after 24 minutes, but thereafter France dominated but had little to show for its efforts.

Camille Abily missed a chance to level on 28 minutes from a Bompastor cross but the Lyon midfielder's half volley lacked power and was held by US goalkeeper Hope Solo.

Solo, playing her 100th international, proved solid again a minute later as she caught a Necib effort, and it was then the turn of Bompastor to miss after 33 minutes when she picked up a Necib cross but her left footed shot rattled the crossbar.

The US could have pulled further ahead five minutes before the break when Christie Rampone pushed forward to cross to Wambach at the far post with Wambach's header across the goal just grazing the crossbar.

But Bompastor grabbed the equaliser after 55 minutes as her pass flew past a waiting Gaetane Thiney in the box to curl in off the far post and into the net.

But Wambach claimed the second after 79 minutes as she headed in a Cheney corner past Berangere Sapowicz, with the French goalkeeper left helpless again three minutes later as Rapinoe played a little ball behind the defence for Morgan to send over the goalie.

As two-time defending champion Germany and Brazil, the 2007 finalist, have already been eliminated, the United States was the only remaining pre-tournament favourites in the running.

As well as being ranked No.1 in the world by FIFA the United States is also the reigning and three-time Olympic champion.

France, by contrast, failed to get past the group stages in its only previous appearance in 2003.

During a surrealist pre-match press conference ahead of its Women's World Cup semi-final, talk wasn't on tactics and line-ups but on the Dominique Strauss-Kahn affair, cooked meats and the health of the France coach.

"The 21 players are in form and fit to play, but the doctor has a sore calf and I was sick myself at midday because since I underwent surgery I have to eat lightly," Bini told reporters.

Bini's reference to his surgery 18 months ago for a sleeping disorder which resulted in him losing 40kgs provoked laughter among journalists, and a quick retort from the France coach.

"I wouldn't wish it on anyone to be as sick as I was a year ago. And here I'm not joking any more."

An American journalist then asked Bini if the Strauss-Kahn affair would be giving the France players additional motivation against the Americans.

France's former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Strauss-Kahn is currently facing charges of trying to rape a hotel maid in New York

"We're here to talk about football, we won't answer this question. We play for the love of it," said Bini.

Asked to comment on a tribute played to the France team by its American counterpart which said that the French 'played with guts', Bini said: "I'm not really interested in what different people say. But it will be a story of football, not cooked meats."

A New York Times journalist asked Bini to explain his method of 'poetry and songs to lift the spirit of his team'.

A weary Bini started to laugh before saying: "I'm tired. Tired of saying the same things all the time. That's how I am, I use writing, literature and poetry to get my message across."

Bini then revealed his 'phrase for the day' for his players - "Real friends are for life, the Olympic Games is in a year, the final is Sunday, the semi-final is Wednesday. What should we think about today?"

France, which has been one of the revelations of the World Cup tournament, takes on world number one team the United States on Wednesday in a match that US striker Abby Wambach has said that 'defeat is not an option' for the former two-time champion.

"It's a question of will of wanting it more than the others. I can tell you that not one person in our staff of team is going to give up," she said.

"(France) are one of the nice surprises of the tournament. They are tough, they've showed that they have guts. But also a team which has produced some of the most beautiful football of the tournament."

Bruno Bini's side came out best in a dramatic 4-3 penalty shootout win over England after the tie had ended 1-1 after extra-time.

Japan's surprise 1-0 victory over two-time defending champion Germany in its quarter-final in Wolfsburg ensured that the French will have one of the two European qualifying spots for the London Games.

"It's not a beautiful day, it's a very beautiful day," said Bini.

"They're going to go to a European championships, a World Cup and the Olympic Games. It's superb for the girls."

Bini said: "I think I aged 10 years when they scored against us, and 10 more when one of our penalties was saved.

"But thankfully winning the match took 22 years off me.

"I do feel for my counterpart, Hope Powell; I was in the same situation as her two years ago at Euro 2009," said Bini whose side were knocked out of that tournament on penalties by the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.

"I know that our joy is matched by their pain. We've been staying in the same hotel as the English, and I'll make sure that our players bear their disappointment in mind."

The French had dominated the tie and after missing numerous chances to score were shocked when Jill Scott put England ahead after 59 minutes.

But they pushed forward in search of the equaliser which Elise Bussaglia finally grabbed two minutes from time.

Such was the French delight that striker Marie-Laure Delie pretended to shine the Paris St Germain midfielder's boots.

The extra-time proved difficult for the English with veterans Kelly White and Faye Smith both limping even if striker Ellen White came close to getting one past goalkeeper Celine Deville, standing in for suspended Berangere Sapowicz.

There was a heart-stopping moment for the French when Camille Abily missed her opening penalty despite a sterling performance which saw the midfielder being named player of the match.

But England's final two penalty takers Claire Rafferty and Faye White both missed the target allowing Les Bleus go through and keep their unbeaten record against the English going back to 1974.

It was a double exploit for the French who will meet either Brazil or the United States in the final four in Monchengladbach on Wednesday.

Only the two best European countries, plus host England, will compete in the Olympic Games. As Germany is out of the tournament only Sweden which plays its quarter-final against Australia on Sunday can match the French.

"It was a very, very tough game, certainly in the first half France were the best team," said England coach Hope Powell.

"We didn't hit the ground running which was unfortunate. We managed to hang on but we knew that France were going to hang on to.

"You have to give credit to France they rumbled us. We had a game plan and we didn't stick to it. It just didn't click.

"We had some really tired legs out there today. At the end we were dead on our feet."

Hope Powell's women almost overcame France at the BayArena thanks to another moment of brilliance from Jill Scott, who followed her great effort against Japan by netting a superb lofted goal in the 58th minute.

However, France fought back and finally got just reward for its incessant pressure through Elise Bussaglia's fantastic first-time curled effort three minutes from time.

Extra-time failed to separate the sides but penalty misses from Claire Rafferty and Faye White ended England's hopes of a first semi-final appearance.

Heading into the clash Powell recalled captain Faye White, Fara Williams and Rachel Yankey to the starting line-up, while France started reserve goalkeeper Celine Deville due to Berangere Sapowicz's suspension.

Deville's nerves were evident from the offset and England came close to scoring within the opening 20 seconds.

Kelly Smith met Karen Carney's superb throughball and rounded Deville only to see her goalbound effort blocked by Sabrina Viguier.

After failing to net from the resulting corner, England's blazing start was subdued somewhat by a long-range Camille Abily effort and then an early yellow card to Williams for catching Goetane Thiney.

The exchanges that followed were relatively equal, with England pressing well and France impressing with a fast tempo.

However, France soon unleashed barrage upon barrage of attacks and Thiney forced England keeper Karen Bardsley to save well with a fierce 20-yard drive in the 25th minute.

Four minutes later Faye White was forced to block a Marie-Laure Delie effort, before Louisa Necib hit the back stanchion with a curling right-footed shot from the resulting corner.

Bardsley was forced to tip over a floating free-kick from Necib as half-time approached and skipper Sandrine Soubeyrand soon hit a hopeful effort that snuck just wide as the French upped the ante.

The second half started in much the same vein, with Necib, Thiney and Delie all coming close for France.

Despite the pressure, England broke the deadlock against the run of play through Scott after she hit a lofted effort over the hapless Deville.

French heads seemed to drop after conceding, although they continued to pepper the England goal as Necib almost struck a 35-yard free-kick past Bardsley and Elodie Thomis came close.

The substitute again went close five minutes from time only for Bardsley to save at the near post, before Ellen White got down to head a Laure Lepailleur effort off the line.

However, France was not to be denied as Bussaglia curled home a left-footed shot off the inside of the post with just minutes remaining.

The equaliser took the match into extra-time, which Smith was forced to spend as a passenger due to injury and with England having already used its full compliment of substitutions.

Ellen White's blasted shot into the side netting was the only moment of note in the first period, while the second period was punctuated by further knocks to England players rather than clear-cut chances.

With nothing able to separate the teams, the match went to penalties where England slipped up once again.

Despite Bardsley saving Abily's penalty, Rafferty dragged a penalty wide and Faye White smashed the crossbar.

Kerstin Garefrekes and Inka Grings gave the host a 2-0 first-half lead with Grings converting a penalty after 68 minutes awarded after Sapowicz was given her marching orders for a dangerous tackle on Fatmire Bajramaj.

Celia Okoyino Da Mbabi scored the fourth for Germany a minute from time after Marie-Laure Delie and Laura Georges pegged two back for France.

Two-time defending champion Germany sets up a quarter-final clash with Japan, which finished second in Group B after losing 2-0 to England in Augsburg.

Second-placed France next plays Group B winner England.

Both Germany and France were already through to the last eight with maximum points after their first two ties.

But it was the Germans who made most of the early running in a tense first half in front of a sell-out crowd of 50,000.

Midfielder Bajramaj had an early effort on goal after 15 minutes but France goalie Sapowicz held firm.

But skipper Garefrekes broke the deadlock after 25 minutes when the Frankfurt midfielder rose highest to pick up a free-kick and head in her second goal of the tournament.

Six minutes later the host was 2-0 up after Duisburg striker Grings latched onto a Simone Laudehr cross to head into goal.

France was transformed in the second half with substitute Delie pulling one back after 56 minutes heading in a corner just a minute after her earlier effort had been held by goalie Nadine Angerer.

A Grings free-kick on 60 minutes was held by Sapowicz, but minutes later the Paris St Germain goalie was sent off for a dangerous tackle as Bajramaj raced towards goal which saw the Turbine Potsdam midfielder stretchered off.

Sapowicz was replaced by Celine Deville and Grings stepped up to convert the penalty on 68 minutes.

Four minutes later Georges got one back for France but Okoyino Da Mbabi put the result beyond any doubt a minute from time.

Nigeria defeated Canada 1-0 in the group's other game but both teams bow out.

Perpetua Nkwocha struck what would prove to be the winner in the 73rd minute to ensure her side would finish third in the group, with pointless Canada bottom.

The game had earlier been delayed for around 10 minutes when the stadium lights went out.

Kevin Escamilla set Mexico on its way after just 14 minutes, but France hit back three minutes later through Jordan Ikoko.

Mexico netted what would prove to be the winner five minutes after the break, Carlos Fierro finishing from close range.

Fierro looped a header against the crossbar in the 66th minute, but it mattered little as Mexico held on to progress to the semi-finals.

Juvisy forward Gaetine Thiney, 25, plus Olympique Lyon's Elodie Thomis, 24, and Corine Franco, 27, said they posed provocatively for the pictures which appear in Sunday's edition of Bild to spark controversy and generate publicity.

The trio posed for the pictures under the motto: "Is this how we should show up before you come to our games?"

Fresh from a 4-0 hammering of Canada last week, in which Thiney scored twice and Thomis also netted, the trio said they want to draw attention to their sport and create some debate of the women's game.

"The pictures have come out really nice and I really like them," Thiney told Bild.

"We wanted to provoke and to generate some discussion."

The French star also praised host Germany, which has won the last two World Cups, where she says the women's game is far more advanced than in her country.

"Women's football here has developed well and already taken a step further than in France."

But Thiney said it was important the French players now back up the attention-seeking pictures off the pitch with success on the field.

"We will try to get more attention through our success," she said with an eye on the match against Germany in Monchengladbach.

The host also got in on the act last month when players from Germany's women's league posed for Playboy.

Players from Bayern Munich, Guetersloh and Wolfsburg left little to the imagination in their football-themed pictures.

The 23-year-old forward from Villiers-le-Bel, France, struck the only goal of the opening match of the 2011 Women's World Cup against Nigeria to continue a torrid pace very few players - men or women - could match.

Delie has tallied 22 goals in just 21 caps, and if that wasn't good enough, her last six games have seen her tally 12 goals.

"I give it my best each time the purpose of a striker is to score and voila!" answered Delie, who scored three goals as the top scorer at the 2007 U19 FIFA's Women World Cup.

Delie's first cap for France's senior side came in a 7-0 routing of Croatia - in which she scored a goal on 23 September, 2009. She also scored nine goals in France's qualifying for the 2011 World Cup.

Delie shifted into another gear during the 2011 Cyprus Cup March in which she scored six goals - hat-tricks against New Zealand and Scotland.

And she continued that form in June, hitting two goals against Belgium and then three more against the Belgians three days later - her third hat-trick in five matches heading into the World Cup opener against Nigeria.

"It just keeps going. She is really unbelievable. I cannot say it will be her World Cup. But it is her time," said French coach Bruno Bini.

The French boss joked about his relationship with Delie.

"It's like a game between us. We have little challenges between us before the game," Bini said.

The coach was impressed with how hard Delie worked without the ball.

"She didn't have the ball a lot but she worked really hard. And that was the reward for her work," said Bini.

"It was incredibly impressive. We are not used to playing in front of such an impressive crowd," said French midfielder Louisa Necib of the sold-out capacity crowd of 25,475 at Sinsheim's Rhein Neckar Arena.

"We don't usually play in circumstances like this. It was a real pleasure," said Marie-Laurie Delie, who scored the only goal in France's 1-0 win over Nigeria.

"There were a lot of people in the stadium. There were a lot of French, and that was very moving, for the players and for everyone else as well," added France coach Bruno Bini.

Nigeria's coach Ngozi Uche was also impressed with the crowd - as well as the other surroundings.

"It was fantastic, the weather, the crowd, the pitch," said Uche.

"I think a lot of work was done for this championship. I appreciate that very much."

Funds raised by the match will go to the French charitable initiative 'A Smile, a Hope for Life', which was set up in 2006 to help sick children and their families.

United coach Sir Alex Ferguson, a patron of the charity, and former Marseille and United goalkeeper Fabien Barthez will both be present, announced ex-OM goalkeeper Pascal Olmeta on the organisation's website.

Both teams went into the game on the back of wins - France started with a 3-0 success over Argentina while Japan downed Jamaica 1-0 - and it was France which opened the scoring.

Abdallah Yaisien fired a 24th-minute shot over Japan goalkeeper Kosuke Nakamura after good work from Kurt Zouma and Timoue Bakayoko to earn his side the lead at half-time.

Japan made it 1-1 four minutes after the restart however, Hideki Ishige picking himself up after being brought down in the penalty area to score from the spot.

France's final game is against Jamaica in Monterrey, while Japan meets Argentina in Morelia.

Le Graet had 54.39 percent of the vote at the FFF federal assembly in Paris, beating outgoing president Fernand Duchaussoy (45.40%) and Eric Thomas (0.19%). He will be at the federation helm until December 2012.

Duchaussoy took over last July following the resignation of Jean-Pierre Escalettes in the wake of France's poor performance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Les Bleus went on strike at a training session in South Africa and were eliminated at the group stage.

The Nigeria international was sanctioned by the French National Olympic and Sporting Committee (CNOSF) after singing an anti-Paris St Germain song into a microphone having scored OM's winner in the Coupe de la Ligue final against Montpellier.

He was fined 20,000 euros ($26,708) and banned for the clash with Valenciennes, OM's final home game before Taiwo's northern summer move to AC Milan. The CNOSF also imposed suspended two-game bans on both Taiwo and team-mate Stephane Mbia, who was fined 10,000 euros ($13,354) for his part in the incident.

A team of former professionals, also featuring the likes of Diego Maradona and Luis Figo, took on a team captained by controversial Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov.

Critics of Kadyrov's regime and human rights record were unimpressed to see such stellar names seemingly endorsing the ruler, while former France star Zinedine Zidane was angry to see his name linked with the occasion and claimed he had received no information.

French Football Federation president Fernand Duchaussoy was angered by Boghossian's presence, and told L'Equipe: "I repeat he did a stupid thing, there must be a sanction to fit the act."

Boghossian, who maintains he 'did not receive a single euro for playing', seems likely to escape with a warning.

Candidates had until midnight on Wednesday to officially enter the battle for the role, elections for which will take place on 18 June.

Former France midfielder Vikash Dhorasoo and Amateur Football Association Francaise (AFAA) representative Eric Thomas are expected to join the pair in the running.

Current president Duchaussoy is expected to count Paris St Germain president Robin Leproux and former France goalkeeper Bernard Lama among his backers, having shown impressive strength of character in his turbulent time at the helm thus far.

He took over from Jean-Pierre Escalettes in the aftermath of France's embarrassing World Cup campaign last northern summer, and after a confused succession process.

He has since made moves to reform and modernise the FFF's structure and investigate the failings which blighted the squad in South Africa, while he has also been forced in recent weeks to deal with the fallout of the racial quotas row.

He said: "For 10 months, despite a difficult and unfavourable context, I have initiated the first steps, notably the adoption of new statutes.

"I can see the progress made but I am also aware of what remains to be done over the next 18 months. It is necessary to at once reassure, regroup and reform."

Le Graet currently serves as the FFF's vice-president in charge of economic affairs and his supporters include the organisation's treasurer Bernard Desumer and Nancy and Sochaux presidents Jacques Rousselot and Alexandre Lacombe.

He said: "If I had to summarise, my slogan would be: 'the economy at the service of amateur football.'"

FFF technical director Francois Blaquart admitted he had been 'bruised' by allegations made by French website Mediapart that he and other senior FFF figures had been prepared to introduce quotas to restrict the numbers of black players and those of north African origin entering national training centres and academies at the age of 12.

Blaquart insists Mediapart's report did not reflect the true context of the meeting, and though he said he would accept his fate following the FFF's own investigation into the matter, he would continue the fight to clear his name. The federation is set to clarify Blaquart's position on Thursday.

Blaquart told slate.fr: "The two weeks that have passed have been very hard for me and my family. I am more than bruised by this, and I will be for a long time.

"Whatever the decision, I will not stop there because I want to go after the truth about what happened. I am the victim of a manipulation ... an enormous injustice.

"The facts prove that I have not sinned. I will counter-attack, I am compelled to."

Blaquart added: "I am not proud of the words I said but I am sickened by the way they have been reported. We did not realise the foolishness of them at the time.

"I am profoundly anti-racist. My career proves that."

Another FFF official, Mohammed Belkacemi, has admitted he recorded the meeting on 8 November and leaked it to the media, and Blaquart said: "I'm not going to throw names out there but I think there are people who disagreed with the project I wanted to put in place, and they have sought to discredit me."

Blaquart, who admits to using the word 'quota' at the meeting, believes there are problems in the French academy system that need to be addressed and said: "To deny it is nonsense."

National team boss Laurent Blanc, who was also present at the meeting, has been cleared of any wrong-doing.

It had been claimed that Blanc and other coaches were seeking to introduce limits on the presence of ethnic minority players entering the national set-up.

French website Mediapart alleged that plans were made at a meeting on 8 November, 2010 to restrict the numbers of black players and those of north African origin entering national training centres and academies at the age of 12.

Blanc was present at the meeting in question, as reportedly were French Football Federation technical director Francois Blaquart, France Under-21 coach Erick Mombaerts and France Under-20 coach Francis Smerecki.

On Tuesday it was stated by French Football Foundation president Patrick Braouezec, who led the quotas investigation, that Blanc was 'angry with himself for being overwhelmed' during the meeting, while the former national team defender received backing from France's sports minister Chantal Jouanno.

It was also stressed that only a small minority of those at the meeting backed the quotas proposal.

Jouanno said: "Laurent Blanc was present for the first time at this type of meeting. He wasn't organiser or pilot. He discovered the debate about quotas.

"He offered no opinions, unlike other participants at the meeting who were prepared for this debate."

She added: "He tries to put his values at the heart of the game."

According to Jouanno, no evidence had emerged to suggest France's 2001 discrimination laws were breached.

"There is no need to go to court," she said.

Technical director Blaquart was suspended from his post at the end of April, and Jouanno stressed it was for the FFF to decide whether he should be reinstated. His fate looks set to be determined on Thursday, when the FFF federal council meets.

Braouezec told a press conference on Tuesday: "No material evidence can demonstrate a policy of quotas. Our inquiry has taken place to verify the words of Mediapart. We haven't been asked to propose sanctions.

"The published words conform with the recording. The idea of quotas was killed in the egg. Only two people, out of 16 or 17, came out in favour of quotas."

Former Marseille, Inter Milan and Manchester United defender Blanc, 45, did not speak in public but will give his side of the story in a TF1 television interview on Friday evening, the FFF announced.

It was recently claimed that plans were made at a meeting last November to restrict the numbers of black players and those of north African origin entering national training centres and academies at the age of 12.

Blanc was said to have been present, along with French Football Federation technical director Francois Blaquart, Under-21 coach Erick Mombaerts and Under-20 coach Francis Smerecki.

French sports minister Chantal Jouanno said: "Laurent Blanc was present for the first time at this type of meeting. He wasn't organiser or pilot. He discovered the debate about quotas.

"He offered no opinions, unlike other participants at the meeting who were prepared for this debate.

"There is nothing to suggest that Laurent Blanc condones discriminatory guidelines."

Blanc confirmed to the joint hearing of the French Football Federation (FFF) and the Sports Ministry on Monday the discussion had taken place on November 8 last year but he emphasised the discussion did not concern him directly.

The source told AFP the enquiry has notably pointed the finger of responsibility for the manner in which the matter was discussed at Francois Blaquart, who has been suspended as national technical director, and also highlighted a lack of communication within the FFF.

Blanc returned to Bordeaux after the hearing at a secret location in Paris.

He was the last witness to be heard leaving Sports Ministry inspectors to write up their report, with Sports Minister Chantal Jouanno holding a press conference on Tuesday morning to give a presentation of the findings.

The two-pronged inquiry was launched after the Mediapart website released a transcript 10 days ago of the November meeting.

A number of players have come through French academies in recent years, and represented France at youth level, only to switch allegiances to the senior sides of different countries.

The controversy comes less than a year after the debacle of the nation's 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign in South Africa, when the France team went on a training ground strike.

Blanc took over from coach Raymond Domenech with the task of rebuilding the squad and it is now top of its Euro 2012 qualifying group.

The report has caused huge controversy and created ruptures among the multiracial France team that won the FIFA World Cup in 1998.

Several members of France's 1998 squad have since spoken out about the affair, including Zinedine Zidane, the iconic star of that side who, on Saturday, voiced his support for the beleaguered Blanc.

Asked if Blanc's words in the meeting were discriminatory, Zidane said: "No, and concerning Laurent, let's be straight and clear: I know him well; of course he's not racist."

Public opinion has been overwhelmingly behind the France coach, with a poll finding that 71 per cent think he should remain as coach.

The FFF, which earlier denied reports that Blanc had offered to resign, said the embattled coach would be keeping his own counsel until the outcome of a two-pronged inquiry by the FFF and the French sports ministry.

Blanc is being investigated after the Mediapart website released a transcript of a meeting last November in which French officials allegedly discussed introducing quotas on the number of dual-nationality players at youth training centres.

Blanc left Merano in northern Italy, where he had been on a scheduled holiday, in the early afternoon on Saturday, according to the hotel where he had been staying.

The national coach has until Monday morning to appear before the French sports ministry's panel and the committee leading the FFF's internal investigation.

Laurent Davenas, one of two people on the FFF's committee, told AFP: "Until further notice, his (Blanc's) hearing will be in Paris, probably over the weekend."

French sports minister Chantal Jouanno will present the findings of her department's investigation on Monday afternoon.

The outcome of the FFF inquiry is not expected to be known until Thursday.

Francois Blaquart, who has been suspended as national technical director, said on Friday it was possible that Blanc may not have heard him use the word 'quota' and was therefore potentially unaware that the issue had been discussed at the meeting last November.

"I could understand, as it (the word quota) was only used once - in an extremely clumsy manner, I admit - if Laurent didn't hear it," said Blaquart.

"It was a very, very passionate discussion that only lasted 20 minutes during a meeting of three hours."

Blanc is under investigation after the release of a transcript of a meeting last November in which Blanc took part in a discussion about the introduction of a quota on dual-nationality players at French youth training centres.

"It is difficult for the coach and I wanted to tell him I'm with him, as are all the players in the France team," Ribery told AFP after scoring twice in Bayern's 8-1 rout of St Pauli in the German league.

"What I am saying is that he must stand tall.

"He has done good things since his arrival, he has restored the confidence of the France team. I hope that he will stay."

Blanc took over as France coach after the debacle of their 2010 World Cup campaign in South Africa and his team is currently top of its Euro 2012 qualifying group.

Having played under Blanc's leadership, Ribery insists the national coach is not a racist.

"I did not get the impression that he is a racist, quite the contrary," Ribery insisted.

Ribery will sit out Bayern's final league game of the season against Stuttgart next weekend after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against St Pauli.

Zidane said 'unfounded accusations have been made against Laurent Blanc', according to French daily L'Equipe, which published online excerpts of an interview for Sunday's newspaper.

"I know him well. Of course he's not a racist," said Zidane, who was Blanc's team-mate in France's 1998 World Cup-winning squad.

The allegations follow a discussion at the French Football Federation in November on the issue of players' dual nationality.

Zidane talked to Blanc this week to understand the context of the debate and find out what he had actually said.

"He was very affected," Zidane said.

"I think he has started doing a great job (with the France team) and that he has a real project. It'd be crazy if he leaves because of that. He must continue."

Ouest-France newspaper claimed on Saturday that Blanc had tendered his resignation, a claim later denied by the FFF.

The federation said on its website that Blanc won't discuss the matter publicly until a commission examining the claims issues its findings.

Online news site Mediapart has published a transcript of the discussion between Blanc and other coaches about allegedly setting up a quota system for dual-nationality players - many of them black and Arab - who train in France's academies but could go on to play for other countries.

Zidane said dual nationality was not an issue and that the federation should think about more important topics like scouting, the philosophy of the game and the way young players are trained.

"The idea to select or discriminate kids on the basis of dual nationality is absurd," Zidane said.

Former team-mates Lilian Thuram and Patrick Vieira criticised Blanc for approving proposals to limit to 30 percent the number of players of African and North African descent from the age of 13.

Despite coming to Blanc's rescue, Zidane however acknowledged that the France coach made some poor comments during that November discussion.

"His words were very awkward, all the more so since they appeared in a debate with borderline expressions like the word 'quota'," Zidane said.

The sports ministry suspended FFF technical director Francois Blaquart a week ago, pending the conclusion of a probe into the discrimination allegations.

Blaquart said it was possible France coach Laurent Blanc, also under investigation for his role in the meeting, may not have heard him use the word and was therefore potentially unaware a quota had been discussed.

Both men are under investigation after the Mediapart website released a transcript of a meeting last November in which French officials allegedly discussed introducing quotas on the number of dual-nationality players at youth training centres.

"I could understand, as it (the word quota) was only used once - in an extremely clumsy manner, I admit - if Laurent didn't hear it," said Blaquart.

"It was a very, very passionate discussion that only lasted 20 minutes during a meeting of three hours."

He added: "I'm not proud and I even feel great shame to see these terms come out and get attached to my name, to Laurent's name and to the names of the others involved, of course."

Blaquart was provisionally suspended for the duration of a two-pronged investigation into the affair being carried out French Football Federation (FFF) and the French sports ministry.

Blanc is currently absent on a planned holiday in Italy, but he is expected to be summoned to a hearing next week.

While Blanc's future appears to be hanging in the balance, French minister for sport Chantal Jouanno was unequivocal on the quotas issue on Friday.

"A national training program should be selecting the best players based purely on their physical and mental attributes, and no other criteria," Jouanno said.

Sources say Blanc could be summoned as early as Saturday, or on Monday at the latest.

It is understood the hearing could take place in Bordeaux, where Blanc lives.

Marseille coach Didier Deschamps became the latest member of France's 1998 World Cup-winning squad to speak out over the affair on Friday, as he expressed solidarity with his former team-mate, Blanc.

"I'm very sad for Laurent, for what's happening to him," said Deschamps at a press conference.

"We're attacking the man, not the national coach or the educator.

"Laurent Blanc is there and I hope that he'll stay as long as possible. There is not the slightest ambiguity about that."

Dugarry, Thuram and current France coach Laurent Blanc played alongside each other in the team that lifted France's first World Cup that year, but Dugarry felt compelled to speak out after Thuram criticised Blanc's role in the quota affair.

"What annoys me about Lilian Thuram's behaviour, especially when I see him go up against Laurent Blanc in such a manner, is the way he wants to pass himself off as the judge of the Supreme Court," Dugarry told Infosport.

"I've always had the impression that he wants to give lessons in behaviour to everyone by saying that so-and-so has to do this and not that.

"Like with Patrice Evra, who almost had to be guillotined because he was the captain of France and he didn't want to get off the bus (during France's World Cup training strike last year)."

Dugarry also related a story about the night of France's World Cup celebrations in July 1998.

"We have the cup and we're taking photos of each other," recalled Dugarry, who now works as a television pundit.

"And then I hear Lilian Thuram - and I'm not the only one, Franck Leboeuf (heard it) as well - say: 'Come on, let's get a photo with all the blacks.'

"And Franck Leboeuf gets up and says to him: 'Lilian, what are you saying now? Imagine if we'd said, 'Come on, let's get a photo with all the whites.' How would you have reacted?'

The Mediapart website claimed last week that high-ranking French officials, including Blanc, discussed introducing a quota to restrict the number of dual-nationality players coming through their national training programmes.

National technical director (DTN) Francois Blaquart was subsequently suspended and both the French Football Federation (FFF) and the French sports ministry have launched investigations.

Blanc apologised after Mediapart on Saturday published a transcript of the meeting at which the quota plan was discussed, but Thuram told RTL on Monday: "I don't think his apology was enough after what happened."

Mohammed Belkacemi, France's national technical advisor for neighbourhood football, said he sent the only copy of the recording to the French Football Federation (FFF) the day after it was made.

"I explained everything to the inquiry," said Belkacemi on Wednesday.

"I recorded the meeting on November 8, 2010 to testify internally about unacceptable things that I had already heard before.

"I sent the only copy of the recording to the federation on November 9, 2010 to confirm my words."

The Mediapart website claimed last week that high-ranking French officials, including France coach Laurent Blanc, discussed introducing a quota to restrict the number of dual-nationality players coming through their national training programs to 30 percent.

National technical director (DTN) Francois Blaquart, who is responsible for youth coaching policy in France, was suspended on Saturday but said that the plan had been 'abandoned'.

Belkacemi has been cast as 'the mole' in the French media after details of his involvement in the affair emerged but he rejected the description.

"Since that date (9 November, 2010), the recording was no longer in my hands but in the possession of the federation, which has been confirmed in the hearings," he said.

"I therefore never gave the recording to a journalist. This media storm does not benefit me. I have no interest in this publicity. I have no interest in a public debate."

Belkacemi's revelation raises the possibility that the FFF knew about the existence of the recording well before it was made public by Mediapart but FFF president Fernand Duchaussoy said that was not the case.

"Until Thursday evening, I had not at any moment been informed by anyone about the discussions that took place during the meeting on November 8, 2010 - much less about the existence of a recording," Duchaussoy said in a statement sent to AFP.

Sports minister Chantal Jouanno subsequently spoke out in support of Duchaussoy.

"Did the FFF know? Not the FFF in the sense of all its directors, but some of its directors," she said.

"I have no reason to doubt the sincerity of the president of the FFF or the vice-president (Noel Le Graet)."

Earlier on Wednesday, Mediapart and the website of the Le Parisien newspaper speculated that Belkacemi had sent the recording to Andre Prevosto, who was then the joint-director general at the FFF.

Prevosto could not be contacted by AFP, while the FFF said it would not comment on the case until the outcome of its own internal investigation and one being conducted by France's sport ministry.

Both inquiries are expected to report their findings later this week.

Blanc, currently on holiday in Italy, will be among the officials questioned as part of the inquiries.

Blanc's former France team-mate Christophe Dugarry, now a television pundit, said he was worried the affair could see Blanc lose his position.

"I think that we're putting him in an enormously difficult position by thinking that we could sack him, because - watch out - he could quit," said Dugarry, who won the World Cup alongside Blanc in 1998.

"I think we have to remember what French football was like over these last four years (under Blanc's predecessor, Raymond Domemech)."

A number of players have come through French youth training centres in recent years, and represented France at youth level, only to switch allegiances to the senior sides of different countries.

They include Marouane Chamakh (Morocco), Sebastien Bassong (Cameroon), Moussa Sow (Senegal), Younes Belhanda (Morocco) and Ryad Boudebouz (Algeria).

Mohamed Belkacemi, a district football adviser within the FFF's technical committee, was present at the meeting last November.

He told Infosport television on Wednesday that he recorded it and made FFF officials aware the next day.

Duchaussoy responded by saying he had no knowledge the discussions had taken place until investigative website Mediapart's explosive report last Thursday.

"At no time was I informed by Mr Belkacemi (or anyone else) about the discussions that took place during the meeting of November 8, or of any recording," Duchaussoy said in a statement.

Belkacemi said he recorded the meeting because he was aghast at some of the 'unspeakable remarks' he was already hearing within the federation.

"What I had to say I (already) said eye-to-eye to the people concerned ... I've been working for 20 years with kids in the inner-cities," Belkacemi told Infosport.

"I gave one recording to the (FFF) on November 9, 2010 to confirm what I had (previously) said."

Christophe Dugarry, who played alongside Blanc on the teams that won the 1998 World Cup and European championship two years later, fears Blanc could resign.

"I fear he's had enough. I hope it's not too late," Dugarry told Infosport.

"I'm scared for French football, scared for him, that we are heading for chaos."

Mediapart published claims last week about a meeting between Blanc, the FFF's technical director Francois Blaquart, under-21 coach Erick Mombaerts and under-20 coach Francis Smerecki where dual nationality was discussed.

The discussions centred around limiting to 30 percent the number of players of African and North-African descent in training academies once they reached the age of 13, thus restricting how many could later play for another country.

Smerecki is the only one quoted as speaking out against the proposals, calling them 'discriminatory'.

Blanc admits he was at the meeting but insists such quotas were never discussed.

However, Mediapart's transcript, which is Belkacemi's recording of the meeting, has Blanc quoted as being favourable to restrictions, although he does not use the word 'quotas'.

French football authorities and France's sports ministry are investigating Mediapart's claims this week.

"I explained everything to the inquiry," Belkacemi said.

"I recorded the meeting on November 8, 2010, to testify internally about the unspeakable remarks that I had previously heard."

Blaquart is suspended pending the outcome of the inquiry.

Blanc's former team-mate Lilian Thuram has spoken of how 'hurt' he was to hear what was discussed at the meeting.

Other former France internationals such as defenders Basile Boli, Luc Sonor and Jean-Alain Boumsong, winger Jerome Rothen and goalkeeper Bernard Lama have all criticised Blanc.

"People see him in a different light now. Maybe they have more doubts," Lama told RMC radio.

"It's up to him to see if he can continue in this context."

Boumsong feels the issue is so serious it goes beyond sport.

"The honour of France is at stake," Boumsong said on Infosport. "If this is confirmed we are facing a massive crisis."

Boumsong played 27 times for France after turning down Cameroon.

"It concerns me because I am half French, half Cameroonian, I had to make the choice in 1999," he said.

"It was an (impossible) choice because I love both countries."

"What great player has France let slip through its hands? Name me one."

Dugarry lambasted Thuram, who had called for Patrice Evra never to play for France again because Evra was captain when France went on a training strike at last year's World Cup.

"I get the impression that, through the way he acts, Lilian Thuram is trying to divide French football," Dugarry said.

"What bothers me with Lilian Thuram is his desire to pass himself off as the supreme court judge.

"I get the impression he wants to give everyone lessons in behaviour. Patrice Evra almost had to be guillotined."

French website Mediapart alleged last week that plans were made at a meeting last November - with Blanc present along with FFF technical director Francois Blaquart, Under-21 coach Erick Mombaerts and Under-20 coach Francis Smerecki - to restrict the numbers of black players and those of north African origin entering national training centres and academies at the age of 12.

Blanc strongly denied the allegation on Friday, telling L'Equipe: "This project does not exist. All that, for me, is false.

"It is impossible to put quotas in place in football. If that was put in place, advocating one race above another, I would fall off my chair."

Blaquart was on Saturday suspended from his post, pending the outcome of investigations by the FFF.

An FFF statement read: "The French Football Federation, in accordance with the commitment they made in response to disclosures by a website, have today set up a Commission of Inquiry to hear charged mainly with the task of hearing those who have been named in order to determine whether the elements revealed last Saturday are true.

"This commission will be composed of Patrick Braouezec, director of the Football Foundation, and Laurent Davenas, president of the National Council of Ethics.

"Alain Resplandy-Bernard, managing director of the FFF, will be responsible for ensuring correct conditions for the setting up of this commission which will work in co-ordination with the mission of general inspection of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

"They will hear in turn, those involved in the DTN [Direction Technique Nationale] meeting which was held at the FFF, on November 8, 2010. It will issue its findings within one week, at the latest.

"These will be developed and studied by a extraordinary Federal Council [meeting] which will be held next week. So that this investigation takes place under optimum conditions of calm, the FFF will not express anything more about this matter until the findings of the commission are made public."

France's sports ministry and the French football federation (FFF) will be carrying out separate enquires with their findings expected in the next week, said Patrick Braouezec, president of the Football Foundation, who has been appointed by the FFF to oversee the investigation.

Braouezec, a member of Parliament, also played a key role in the enquiry which followed the French national team strike during last year's World Cup in South Africa.

The influential Mediapart website claimed last week that top management at the FFF, including France coach Laurent Blanc, secretly discussed and approved 'unofficial discriminatory quotas' at a meeting last November to limit the number of black and Arab players coming through the national training programmes to 30 percent.

National Technical Director (DTN) Francois Blaquart, responsible for youth coaching policy in France, was suspended on Saturday. He said that the plan had been 'abandoned'.

Blanc will be among the officials questioned as part of the enquiry.

A number of players have come through French academies in recent years, and represented France at youth level, only to switch allegiances to the senior sides of different countries.

They include Marouane Chamakh (Morocco), Sebastien Bassong (Cameroon), Moussa Sow (Senegal), Younes Belhanda (Morocco) and Ryad Boudebouz (Algeria).

The scandal could not come at a worse time for the French federation during a month which should have been focused on the selection of the nine host cities for Euro 2016, and elections slated for 18 June.

French football has been plunged into turmoil after investigative website Mediapart reported that Blanc and senior figures in the federation approved proposals to limit to 30 percent the number of players of African and North-African descent in training academies once they reach 13 years of age.

"Of course you feel hurt, of course," Thuram said on French football show Telefoot.

"You tell yourself that it's a perpetual (cycle) to always cast doubt on people with regards to their colour and religion."

Thuram played alongside Blanc and playmaker Zinedine Zidane in a team that became a national icon after winning the 1998 World Cup and European championship in 2000, prompting politicians to hail its multi-ethnicity from the rooftops.

"Some people have short memories," Thuram said.

FFF technical director Francois Blaquart has been suspended pending an inquiry into the claims, which included a transcript of a conversation involving Blanc, Blaquart, under-21 coach Erick Mombaerts and under-20 coach Francis Smerecki in November.

Smerecki is the only one quoted as speaking out vehemently against the quota proposals, calling them 'discriminatory'.

French sports minister Chantal Jouanno wants a probe into the allegations to be completed by the end of next week.

"I hope, once again, that we will get some good news ... that all of this was a nightmare and it wasn't true," Thuram said.

"I fear that it's true and that we're in the middle of something very serious."

Blanc maintains that those present were merely raising the issue of dual nationality that sees players profit from France's training academies before deciding to play for the country of their origin.

"That 26 players out of 30 who go through (the national training academy at) Clairefontaine then join a (different) national team, does that not shock you?" Mombaerts told L'Equipe's website.

"We've put together national infrastructures that serve others."

Thuram distanced himself from Blanc and Mombaerts by refuting that theory.

"First of all it's a false problem because the best players will be taken on by France.

"The others, who won't be kept on, will naturally go and play for other countries," Thuram said.

"It's the France team which is given priority. The ones who go on to play for another country are the ones France didn't want."

Thuram cites the current France team as an example.

"(Karim) Benzema plays for which country? (Samir) Nasri plays for which country?" Thuram added.

"So all of this is a false problem from the outset. When you have the wrong idea from the beginning, you end up giving the wrong answer."

Jouanno said the dual nationality issue is dangerous because 'you then spill over into the issue of people's origins'.

France midfielder Alou Diarra defended Blanc.

"Laurent Blanc is not a racist. I don't see anything racist in his comments," Diarra said on Canal Plus television.

"I see a frustrated (national team) coach."

Diarra turned down an approach to play for Mali earlier in his career.

Thuram, who has campaigned against racism, feels French society still harbours long-standing prejudices.

"When will we emerge from this cycle? When will we escape from these prejudices about skin colour?" Thuram said.

"When will we understand that it's not because you're black that you run faster than someone else? It's not because you're black that you're less intelligent than someone else."

The former leader of the far-right National Front party, Jean-Marie Le Pen, shocked many in Europe by reaching the runoff of France's 2002 presidential election on his anti-immigrant, anti-EU platform.

His daughter, Marine Le Pen, has taken over as National Front leader and is expected to run in the next election. She has also adopted an anti-immigration stance.

Federation President Fernand Duchaussoy, meanwhile, maintained there is no approval of quotas within his organisation.

"It's neither our philosophy nor our culture," Duchaussoy said on Telefoot.

Instead, Duchaussoy said, there could be a Machiavellian plot against Blanc within the FFF.

Under Blanc, France has started winning again and - up until last week's allegations - had successfully restored its image in the eyes of fans following last year's World Cup debacle in South Africa under former coach Raymond Domenech.

"You can have doubts about what's happening. You can imagine that because the France team is playing pretty well and (has) restored a certain image," Duchaussoy said.

"Maybe, in a way, there is an attempt to destabilise the France team."

But former France midfielder Jean-Michel Larque fears that French football is now mirroring the rise of the far-right.

"Talking about quotas, about (Arabs), about (blacks), about people who take advantage of France to go and wear the jersey of another country," Larque told RMC radio.

"Football doesn't escape from the Le Pen-isation of society."