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France 24
44 minutes ago
- France 24
Oldest surviving Tour de France yellow jersey wearer Marinelli dies at 99
On the eve of the start of the 112th Tour de France in Lille, race director Christian Prudhomme on Friday paid tribute to a rider, nicknamed "the parakeet", who was one of the legends of the race. "I can still hear my father talking about the Parakeet. He was the oldest of the Tour de France's yellow jerseys. A part of the Tour de France's history is going with him," Prudhomme told AFP. Aged 23, during the 1949 Tour dominated by cycling greats Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali, Marinelli took the yellow jersey on the fourth stage in Rouen which he wore for six days until the Pyrenees. "I was in good shape, that's all I knew. But I didn't even dream of the yellow jersey," he recalled during an interview with AFP in 2019. All of France was fascinated by the exploits of the diminutive Marinelli, who stood just 1.60 metres (5ft 3in) and weighed 50 kilos, in contrast to the legendary Italian "heron" Coppi, the eventual winner. Marinelli finished third in Paris, behind the two Italian champions, and was greeted by a huge crowd in the capital. "The yellow jersey allowed me to have a tap with running water in my family's house," Marinelli liked to say. His popularity would serve him well throughout the rest of his life, establishing himself as one of the largest retailers in his region, and becoming mayor of his home town. © 2025 AFP
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
England's James ready for Euros opener with France, says Wiegman
Chelsea star James was selected in Wiegman's squad despite being a doubt for the tournament after being sidelined with a hamstring injury in April. She returned for the Lionesses with a substitute appearance in Sunday's 7-0 hammering of Jamaica -- showing her class with a stunning assist for Alessia Russo -- and Wiegman hinted the forward might even start the Group D clash in Zurich on Saturday. "Yeah, the team looks really good. I think we're ready. We had our last session this morning and everyone came through well," Wiegman told reporters. "She's (James) in a good place of course. As you've noticed she came on the pitch against Jamaica last week and she's ready to get more minutes tomorrow. "We're not going to give you the line-up but she played 30 minutes last week, so she can play more than that. So, I think that will say enough." England have had some turbulence in the lead up to the Euros in Switzerland, with goalkeeper Mary Earps and midfielder Fran Kirby retiring from international football, albeit in differing circumstances. And centre-back Millie Bright, who captained England to a first Women's World Cup final in 2023, also withdrew herself from selection due to physical and mental fatigue. But fellow defender Leah Williamson, a Champions League winner with Arsenal in May, is raring to go after missing out on their run to the World Cup final two years ago with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. "I've probably had some anxiety I suppose, up until this moment, just because I wanted to be here and I wanted to be with the team," Williamson said. "I wanted to experience another tournament for England and being away from home is special when you come to another country to represent your country... So I'm just taking everything in. I'm very excited." France, who have also waved goodbye to influential figures in Wendie Renard and Eugenie Le Sommer, will be without captain Griedge Mbock who has picked up a calf injury and missed team training on Friday.
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
The Bright Side: Football pioneers celebrate as Switzerland hosts Women's Euro 2025
On the terrace of a restaurant in the Swiss city of Sion sits a group of pioneers of women's football in Switzerland who have seen the beautiful game change beyond recognition. For 72-year-old Madeleine Boll, seeing the city in the French-speaking part of Switzerland hosting three games in the Women's European Championship, which is being staged across the country, is a proud moment. The mascot of the tournament, a Saint Bernard puppy, bears her name, Maddli, in recognition of her role in advancing women's football in Switzerland. At 12 years old in 1965, Boll became the first woman in Switzerland to obtain a licence to play football, with FC Sion's boys' youth team. But just months later it was taken away from her after the club said it had made an error. "I was the happiest little girl. But the day they took away my licence, I was the unhappiest because I didn't understand why I was forbidden to play," Boll told Reuters. However, it marked the first in a series of landmark moments that enabled women's inclusion in Swiss football. By 1970 the first Swiss Women's Football League was created, with Boll's father, Jean Boll, its president. Madeleine later played for FC Sion, one of the earliest women's football clubs in Switzerland. "It's a beautiful gift because it's here that the beginnings of Swiss women's football took root," she said. Key moment A lot has changed since Boll and her generation played. There are now 40,000 registered women players and 134 female referees in Switzerland, according to the Swiss FA. "It was different. We didn't have jerseys, we didn't have means to travel ... We had to make people understand that we are capable of playing," said 72-year-old Rosemarie Siggen, from Sion who started playing football towards the end of the 1960s. For Siggen and Boll, who were joined by four other footballing pioneers in the women's game in Sion, this year's tournament is a key moment to make strides in supporting women's football. "The Euros will be a catalyst," Boll told Reuters, pointing to it as an opportunity for greater investment in the women's game. The Swiss hosts are hoping the legacy of the tournament – being played across eight cities over the next month – will bolster female football in the country as Euro 2022 did for champions England. It is aiming to double the number of female players by 2027, according to the Swiss FA. "It's a bit difficult for these young girls. They need help. I think there should be stronger support, a real investment ... we want to see them progress because they can bring many beautiful things," said Siggen. Boll hopes that the Switzerland side, who lost their first match of the tournament 2-1 to Norway, can continue to make strides with more financial support. "If we want to have a good Swiss team ... it will be important that girls become professional because it is difficult ... to achieve results while having a job or being a student," Boll said. UEFA, the governing body for European soccer, announced a record 600,000 tickets have been sold for the tournament. Basel will host the final on July 27 at St. Jakob-Park, the largest football stadium in Switzerland.
