Sports

Raphaël Varane in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France, March 28, 2022. FRANCK FIFE / AFP Raphaël Varane did not come empty-handed to our interview in Paris on Friday, November 28. The former defender, who retired in September 2024, brought along a folder full of athletes' personal testimonies. All had experienced mental health struggles, just like Varane himself, who discusses the issue on a television documentary Têtes Plongeantes ("Diving Heads") alongside other members France's 2018 World Cup championship football team. According to the FIFPRO international players' union, 20% to 35% of footballers face such difficulties through the course of their careers. "At the time, we experienced incredible emotions, which we shared with millions of people in F...

Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates with his trophy after winning the ATP finals against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in Turin, Italy, on November 16, 2025. GUGLIELMO MANGIAPANE / REUTERS Jannik Sinner ended a turbulent season in the best possible fashion on Sunday, November 16, after seeing off Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5, to retain his ATP Finals title in front of delighted fans in Turin. The Italian brought the house down by winning the championship match tennis fans wanted to see, adding the prestigious year-ending tournament to the Australian Open and a landmark triumph at Wimbledon this season. The 24-year-old also bounced back from a three-month ban that chopped out a large chunk of his season despite the World Anti-Doping Ag...

Franco Colapinto of Argentina driving the (43) Alpine F1 A525 Renault on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix at Las Vegas Strip Circuit on November 20, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. MARK THOMPSON / AFP It was here, under the dazzling lights of Sin City, as Las Vegas is nicknamed, that Max Verstappen clinched his fourth Formula 1 (F1) world championship in 2024. The Las Vegas Grand Prix, on Saturday, November 22 (the race starts at 8 pm local time, 5 am Sunday in Paris), will likely not crown a new champion this time: British driver Lando Norris, who currently leads the drivers' standings, cannot mathematically secure the title in Nevada. From 2023 Subscribers only Miami Grand Prix: From Netflix to Las Vegas, how Form...

Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrates on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas at Las Vegas Strip Circuit on November 22, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. HECTOR VIVAS / AFP Formula One world champion Max Verstappen produced a masterful drive to win the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday, November 23, and his title hopes were boosted further with the McLarens of championship leader Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both being disqualified. Norris finished the race in second with Piastri fourth, but the skid blocks on both cars were found to be below the minimum depth after the race. The disqualifications mean that with two race weekends remaining, four-time defending champion Verstappen is now level on points with Piastri in...

Kylian Mbappé celebrates after scoring France's first goal during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, on November 13, 2025. FRANCK FIFE / AFP The bitter dispute between Kylian Mbappé and his former club Paris Saint-Germain reached the French Labor court on Monday, November 17, for a tense hearing in which the French striker claimed €263 million and the club responded by demanding he pay them €440 million. Both sides offered a long shopping list of grievances with price tags attached. PSG said they are basing their figure in part on a botched €300 million transfer to Saudi club Al Hilal, which the player refused in June 2023 and its aftermath. Mbappé, 26, initially filed a complaint in J...

France's midfielder Kheira Hamraoui, on February 16, 2022, in Le Havre, France. FRANCK FIFE / AFP Former Paris Saint-Germain women's footballer Kheira Hamraoui filed a €3.5 million claim against the club on Monday, November 17, alleging that she was forced out after she was brutally attacked with an iron bar. In November 2021, Hamraoui was attacked by two masked men after returning from a team dinner in a car with teammate Aminata Diallo. But after Diallo was detained and charged with instigating the attack on her teammate, Hamraoui was allegedly the victim of "moral harassment" by some of PSG's players. Two of those – Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Kadidiatou Diani – refused to pass the ball to Hamraoui during games, the plaintiff's lawyer...

Didier Deschamps and his players celebrate France's qualification for the 2026 World Cup finals after the match against Ukraine at the Parc des Princes in Paris, on November 13, 2025. STEPHANE MAHE / REUTERS Didier Deschamps will not be putting his reputation on the line at the 2026 World Cup, which will conclude his 14th and final season at the helm of the French men's national football team. The closing of this long chapter will certainly weigh in the balance, but when the definitive assessment is made, he will be able to point to his longevity and achievements – beyond his record of trophies, whether or not it includes another World Cup title. After the 1998 victory, Aimé Jacquet took the exit ramp to lasting glory. Following the 2018 triumph, Deschamps ...

Allianz Riviera stadium, Nice, March 18, 2025. VALENTIN VIE/MAXPPP The controversy had been simmering beneath the surface, but at the start of November, it was brought to the boil by Frédéric Maillot, rapporteur for the 2026 sports budget. The Communist MP, who represents La Réunion, went before the Assemblée Nationale's Committee on Cultural and Educational Affairs on November 3 to discuss plans for the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Maillot notably criticized the expected cost of building a permanent ice rink in Nice, and of temporarily converting the Allianz Riviera stadium into two ice hockey arenas. The first facility, the only new sports structure to be built for the Winter Olympics in the French Alps, is estimated at €138 million, according to th...

Bayern Munich's players celebrate their victory at the end of the UEFA Champions League, league phase day 4, football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and FC Bayern Munich at the Parc des Princes in Paris, on November 4, 2025. THOMAS SAMSON / AFP Luis Diaz scored twice and was later sent off as Bayern Munich beat title-holders Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 away in a heavyweight Champions League clash on Tuesday, November 4. João Neves pulled one back for PSG but Bayern held on with 10 men to maintain their perfect record in all competitions this season and sit top of the Champions League standings. Ousmane Dembélé came off midway through the first half. Moments after having a goal ruled out for offside following a video check, the Ballon d'Or...

Novak Djokovic of Serbia raises the trophy of the ATP 250 tennis tournament after winning the final match against Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, in Athens, Greece, on November 8, 2025. YORGOS KARAHALIS / AP Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the ATP Finals with a shoulder injury, shortly after winning his 101st career title, the 24-time Grand Slam champion confirmed on Saturday, November 8. The 38-year-old will be replaced in the Jimmy Connors Group by Lorenzo Musetti, who was beaten by Djokovic in the final of an ATP event in Athens. "I was really looking forward to competing in Turin and giving my best but after today's final in Athens, I'm sad to share that I need to withdraw due to an ongoing injury," Djokovic said on social media. "I'm truly sor...