French President Macron revealed contingency plans for the Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony on the River Seine due to potential security risks, including the possibility of relocating to the Stade de France.

PARIS, April 15 (Xinhua) — The organizers have prepared alternatives to staging the highly-anticipated Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony on the River Seine if there are excessive security risks, French president Emmanuel Macron admitted on Monday.

As the countdown to the Olympics reaches the critical 100-day mark, Macron spoke to French broadcasters RMC and BFM TV inside the Grand Palais. While he reiterated his confidence in successfully hosting the ceremony on the Seine, he also acknowledged that alternative plans were under consideration due to potential security challenges.

“If we think there are security risks we’ll have Plan Bs, and even Plan Cs,” he said. “We are preparing them in parallel. We will do an analysis in real time. We have a ceremony which would be limited to the Trocadero and which would therefore not cover the entire Seine.”

Macron also mentioned the possibility of relocating the ceremony to the Stade de France.

“This is what is traditionally done,” he added.

Hosting the opening ceremony in the open urban space was a highly imaginative move by the Paris organizing committee and the local government.

According to the current plan, about 10,500 athletes are expected to travel approximately six kilometers from east to west along the Seine, disembarking near the Eiffel Tower at Trocadero Square for the celebration. An estimated 300,000 spectators are anticipated to watch the event live from both sides of the river.

However, security has been a significant concern from the outset of planning. The increasing risk of potential terrorist attacks is a critical consideration for both the organizing committee and the French government.

The Olympic flame for the Paris Games will be lit on April 16 in ancient Olympia, Greece. April 17 will mark the 100-day countdown to the opening of the Paris Olympics.

The Paris Olympics will take place between July 26 and August 11, followed by the Paris Paralympics from August 28 to September 8.

Source(s): Xinhua

PARIS, April 10 (Xinhua) — Barcelona’s manager, Xavi Hernandez, showcased his tactical genius by making two substitutions that led directly to goals, propelling his team to a thrilling 3-2 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday.

The game was an emotional rollercoaster, with Barcelona initially taking the lead, only to fall behind, and then executing a stunning comeback.

Brazilian forward Raphinha scored twice, including the opener in the first half, taking advantage of a mistake by PSG’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to net his first Champions League goal at the 37-minute mark.

PSG quickly turned the tables after halftime, with Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha scoring to give the Parisians a 2-1 advantage.

It was at this juncture that Xavi made a tactical masterstroke. In the 61st minute, he brought on Rodri and Joao Felix for Lamine Yamal and Sergi Roberto, a change that quickly paid off.

Pedri, just two minutes after coming on, lofted a perfect pass to Raphinha, who calmly finished past Donnarumma, drawing the teams level.

In the 76th minute, Xavi’s strategic acumen was on display again when he substituted Andreas Christensen and Ferran Torres for Frenkie de Jong and the key player Raphinha. Christensen scored with a header from a corner just a minute later, sealing a dramatic comeback for Barcelona.

“Pedri came on and helped us a lot. I’m very proud of the team. Christensen also came on and helped,” Xavi said. “Tactically we did really well.”

Since Xavi announced his departure from the team at the end of the season following a January defeat to Villarreal, Barcelona has been unbeaten in 12 matches across all competitions, a stark contrast to PSG’s previous unbeaten streak of 27 matches, which ended with this loss.

“We made things a bit difficult for ourselves. We managed to turn things around in the second half and could have had a third (goal),” PSG coach Luis Enrique said. “Everything’s still open for us and we will go there with ambition.”

The return leg is set for April 16th at Barcelona’s home ground.

Source(s): Xinhua

LONDON, April 7 (Xinhua) — Liverpool failed to return to the top of the Premier League on Sunday after they were held to a 2-2 draw after a thrilling game away to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The result leaves Liverpool level on points with Arsenal at the top of the table, but Arsenal, who won 3-0 away to Brighton on Saturday, remain leaders on goal difference.

Liverpool took a 23rd minute lead when Darwin Nunez flicked on for Luis Diaz to fire home from a corner that was badly defended by Manchester United and Liverpool went on to create and miss enough chances to have the game sewn up by halftime.

They paid for their profligacy after 50 minutes, when Bruno Fernandes scored from inside of the center circle after a horrible pass from Jarell Quansah gave the ball away with Caoimhin Kelleher stranded outside his penalty area.

It was 2-1 to United in the 67th minute when Kobbie Mainoo turned in the corner of the Liverpool penalty area and curled a shot home at the far corner on the net.

Mohamed Salah saved a point for Liverpool after 63 minutes from the penalty spot and both sides had chances in the closing minutes.

Liverpool and Arsenal are a point ahead of Manchester City after Pep Guardiola’s side won 4-2 away to Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Tottenham move into fourth place after beating Nottingham Forest 3-1 at home on Sunday evening after second half goals from Mickey van de Ven and Pedro Porro assured them victory. The first half of the game saw Nottingham forward Chris Wood’s 27th minute header cancel out Murillo’s own goal.

Chelsea conceded a 93rd minute goal away to Sheffield United as Ollie McBurnie saved a point for the home side that won’t be enough to keep them in the top-flight, but which once again exposed Chelsea’s flaws.

Chelsea led twice through Thiago Silva and Noni Madueke, but were pinned back, first through Jaydon Bogle and McBurnie’s late finish from four yards after beating the Chelsea offside trap.

Source(s): Xinhua