Toulouse's soccer players have done what many in the French city would once have thought impossible.
By unexpectedly grabbing a Champions League spot for next season, they managed to upstage their famed rugby union rivals.
Toulouse were in seventh spot with a game to go in the French first division and four points behind third-placed Lens just two days before they qualified on May 26.
PHOTO: AFP
At this point it was mathematically impossible for them to get into the top three and qualify for the Champions League.
On May 24, they were awarded a victory at Nantes, which ended 0-0 the previous weekend, after a pitch invasion by Nantes fans in the 87th minute meant the match was abandoned.
The French league disciplinary commission president, Jacques Riolacci, said they had followed rules to the letter in awarding Toulouse victory and giving Nantes a one-match, suspended, stadium ban.
Toulouse moved a place to sixth, but they were still two points behind third spot with Lens, Bordeaux and Rennes above them.
However, Toulouse's 3-1 victory over Bordeaux on the last day of the season, combined with both Rennes and Lens failing to win, propelled them into Europe's most prestigious competition.
Then Toulouse mayor Jean-Luc Moudenc broke his ankle when thrown into their soccer club's bath in celebration of their qualification.
Moudenc claimed afterwards he was surprised by the shallowness of the bath when thrown in and his left ankle is now in plaster.
"I'll be in plaster for three weeks and then another three weeks of rehabilitation," Moudenc said.
Toulouse are better known for their rugby team, the only side to have won rugby's version of the European Cup three times.
So how did Toulouse FC do it?
Star striker Johan Elmander of Sweden was one reason and experienced coach Elie Baup certainly must take a large part of the credit.
Elmander, a relative unknown at the start of last season, became the heart of the team and often when he did well the team did well too.
And his hat-trick in the final match against Bordeaux to book Toulouse's place in the August 3 Champions League third qualifying round draw brought his season's tally to 11, the best at the club.
The former Brondy player combined a strong physique with reasonable technical ability to produce memorable performances.
Looking ahead to next season, Baup said keeping hold of Elmander and recruiting well were key to another good season.
"[In] Europe, we need another four players to continue to do well," Baup said.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was