Sophie Renard 
In a dramatic Champions League tie at the Fortuna Arena, RC Lens rallied from two deficits, scoring twice in stoppage time to secure a 3-2 victory over a reduced Slavia Prague side. The win came after Lens had already come back from behind earlier in the match, highlighting their resilience.
Edgar Grospiron, the former Olympic moguls champion, stepped down as president of the 2030 French Alps Winter Olympics organising committee after 18 months amid internal turmoil and budget cuts. The departure follows a series of high‑profile resignations and ongoing governance challenges, but French officials say the bid remains on track.
McLaren and Red Bull successfully appealed the pit‑lane speeding penalties that had affected the Monaco Grand Prix, leading to Alpine’s Pierre Gasly losing his podium finish. The appeal moved Gasly from third place on the road to seventh in the official results, while promoting drivers such as Isack Hadjar and Oscar Piastri up the order.
Paris Saint-Germain have turned down multiple offers from Manchester City for their 25‑year‑old midfielder Jennifer Echegini, with the French club unwilling to let her go before her contract expires next year. The rejection comes ahead of the Women’s Super League season start and the upcoming Women’s Champions League qualifying tie against Eintracht Frankfurt.
France’s Cassandre Beaugrand secured her fourth consecutive victory in the World Triathlon Championship Series at the Weihai race, finishing ahead of Britain’s Beth Potter. The win moves her to the top of the series standings despite competing in fewer events this season.
Paris St-Germain’s opening Ligue 1 fixture against Rennes has been relocated from the Parc des Princes to Rennes’ stadium in Brittany after an exceptional heatwave left the home pitch severely damaged. The LFP said the surface was unsafe for play, and PSG will replace the turf before their next home game against Monaco on 4 September.
Zinedine Zidane has been unveiled as the new head coach of France, succeeding Didier Deschamps after the 2026 World Cup. The former Real Madrid manager signed a four‑year contract and will begin his tenure in September, with his first matches slated for a Nations League trip to Turkey followed by games against Belgium and Italy.
During a friendly between French club Metz and Dutch side Fortuna Sittard, referee Mathilde Demoncay was injured after being knocked down while attempting to intervene in a player melee. She suffered a concussion, briefly continued as an assistant referee before leaving at half‑time. Metz went on to win the match 3‑1.
Mercedes driver scout Gwen Lagrue, who helped discover talents such as Kimi Antonelli, is set to move to Red Bull to lead its driver development programme, filling the role vacated by Helmut Marko. The move is still being negotiated between the two rival Formula 1 teams, with no comment from the parties involved.
Chelsea have agreed a £850,000 deal to sign Manchester United striker Melvine Malard. The 26-year-old France international is set to join the Women’s Super League club and reunite with manager Sonia Bompastor after leaving Lyon in 2023.