GIRONA, Spain (AP) — The coach who led unheralded Girona to a surprise Spanish title challenge in 2024 and a Champions League debut left the club Thursday after it was relegated from the top tier.
Míchel Sánchez “will not continue at Girona,” the Catalan club said in a statement Thursday, several days after the team drew 1-1 at home with Elche when a win would have retained a place in La Liga.
Sánchez was praised for “the humane, approachable, and respectful manner he has maintained at all times with the members, fans, management, and all the club’s staff.”
Dutch media reported this week that Sánchez is in talks with Ajax about taking over at the four-time European champion.
The 50-year-old Sánchez joined Girona in 2021 and guided the team to promotion from the second tier.
The club, which is part of the Abu Dhabi-backed City Football Group, then shocked European soccer in the 2023-24 season by leading the La Liga standings as late as January and finishing third behind Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Girona’s star player that season, Savinho, then joined its parent club Manchester City. In its Champions League campaign, Girona placed 33rd in the 36-team standings.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE – Girona’s head coach Michel Sanchez attends a news conference ahead of the tomorrow’s Champions League opening phase soccer match between AC Milan and Girona at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)
PARIS (AP) — French police detained over 400 people involved in violent clashes in Paris and other French cities that erupted Saturday night after Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League title.
Seven officers were injured as football fans set off fires and vandalized shops, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said, describing the violence as “absolutely unacceptable.” One small group even tried to storm a Paris police station.
Nuñez said rioting took place in about 15 cities in France, and that nearly 400 people were detained in all, with nearly 300 of them in Paris alone.
But he said that planned celebrations for the team’s win on Sunday afternoon at the Champ de Mars, near the Eiffel Tower, would go ahead as scheduled. The PSG team will then be hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee presidential palace.
Fans began celebrating in Paris after the final whistle Saturday evening in Budapest, Hungary, where Paris Saint-Germain won by beating Arsenal on penalties in a dramatic final.
Fans marched along the avenues near Paris’ Arc de Triomphe monument, with some setting off flares and blaring car horns. Around 20,000 people gathered on the Champs-Elysees, where police worked to contain the crowd.
The Paris police prefecture said smaller groups caused disturbances in various locations, with some vandalizing shops and setting fires. Cars were also set ablaze. Those who attempted to storm a police station in the posh 8th Arrondissement neighborhood were dispersed, police said.
In May last year following PSG’s first title, 201 people were injured in the French capital and police made more than 500 arrests across France.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
A car burns and fireworks explode as police watch PSG supporters celebrate in Paris, Saturday, May 30, 2026 after the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal that’s being played in Budapest., PSG won the game. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
A car burns and fireworks explode as police watch PSG supporters celebrate in Paris, Saturday, May 30, 2026 after the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal that’s being played in Budapest, PSG won the game. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
A car burns as PSG supporters celebrate in Paris, Saturday, May 30, 2026 after the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal that’s being played in Budapest., PSG won the game. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
A man holds a flare as PSG supporters celebrate in Paris, Saturday, May 30, 2026 after the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal that’s being played in Budapest., PSG won the game. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
Police try to disperses PSG supporters who left off fireworks as they celebrate in Paris, Saturday, May 30, 2026 after the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal that was played in Budapest, PSG won the game. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)