PSG Part Ways With Manager Pochettino After 18 Months in Charge

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain v RC Lens - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - April 23, 2022 Paris St Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino reacts REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain v RC Lens - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - April 23, 2022 Paris St Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino reacts REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
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PSG Part Ways With Manager Pochettino After 18 Months in Charge

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain v RC Lens - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - April 23, 2022 Paris St Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino reacts REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain v RC Lens - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - April 23, 2022 Paris St Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino reacts REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

Paris St Germain have parted ways with manager Mauricio Pochettino, the Ligue 1 club said on Tuesday, ending the Argentine's 18-month stint at the French champions even though he had a year left on his contract.

Pochettino, who was appointed in January 2021, won the Ligue 1 title in 2021-22 and the French Cup in 2020-21 but failed to deliver in the Champions League, the only major trophy that has eluded PSG since Qatar Sports Investment took over in 2011, according to Reuters.

Christophe Galtier is set to replace Pochettino, with club president Nasser al-Khelaifi saying last month that they were in talks with Nice, who also moved quickly to appoint former Borussia Dortmund coach Lucien Favre to succeed Galtier..

"Paris Saint-Germain confirm that Mauricio Pochettino has ended his role at the club," the club said in a statement.

"The club would like to thank Mauricio Pochettino and his staff for their work and wish them the best for the future."

PSG, eight times league winners since the takeover, were Champions League runners-up in 2020 but they were knocked out in the last 16 last season by eventual champions Real Madrid.

Pochettino came in with a strong resume after making Tottenham Hotspur perennial top-four finishers in England's Premier League and guiding them to the Champions League final in 2019.

But despite having a star-studded squad at his disposal at PSG, with Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi leading the attack, the Parisian club failed to win the other domestic trophies on offer, lifting only the league title last season.

Pochettino leaves PSG after 84 competitive games in charge, having won 55, drawn 15 and lost 14.

PSG are due to hold a media conference at Parc des Princes at 1400 CET (1200 GMT) on Tuesday.



Tottenham’s Bentancur Banned 7 Games, Fined $126,000 for Offensive Comment on South Koreans

Rodrigo Bentancur of Tottenham celebrates scoring the 1-2 goal during the English Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Ipswich Town in London, Britain, 10 November 2024. (EPA)
Rodrigo Bentancur of Tottenham celebrates scoring the 1-2 goal during the English Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Ipswich Town in London, Britain, 10 November 2024. (EPA)
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Tottenham’s Bentancur Banned 7 Games, Fined $126,000 for Offensive Comment on South Koreans

Rodrigo Bentancur of Tottenham celebrates scoring the 1-2 goal during the English Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Ipswich Town in London, Britain, 10 November 2024. (EPA)
Rodrigo Bentancur of Tottenham celebrates scoring the 1-2 goal during the English Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Ipswich Town in London, Britain, 10 November 2024. (EPA)

Uruguay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was banned for seven matches on Monday for making an offensive comment about South Koreans in relation to a remark about Tottenham teammate Son Heung-min.

The English Football Association said in a statement that an independent commission also imposed a £100,000 ($126,000) fine on the player.

Appearing on a Uruguayan television show in June, Bentancur was asked for a Tottenham player’s jersey and replied, “Sonny’s?” He added it could be Son’s cousin, too, because “more or less they are all the same.”

Bentancur apologized to Son on Instagram, saying it was a “very bad joke” and he would “never disrespect you or hurt you.”

He was charged by the English FA in September because he was alleged to have “acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or brought the game into disrepute.”

The FA said it constituted an aggravated breach because it included “reference to nationality and/or race and/or ethnic origin.”