Down to Ten Men

Host of the Euro 2016 tournament this summer, France surrounded its largest soccer stadium with a 7-foot fence and deployed 1,700 security personnel in a bid to prevent repeats of November's ISIS bombing. However, this did not all go to plan as the test run caused chaos.

The new measures were installed at the Stade de France ahead of Euro 2016 which kicks off across the country in three weeks (the first match of Euro 2016 is scheduled for June 10).

However, thousands of fans became trapped by a new two-tier security system that forced supporters to pass through pat-downs and multiple ticket checks on Saturday. Some people in the densely-packed crowds even ignited fireworks in protest to the measures.

Juventus are unlikely to see any major departures in the summer, according to manager Massimiliano Allegri.

The Italian recently agreed a contract extension with the Italian Serie A winners. After having won the league title for a fifth consecutive time, Juventus will start to think about doing well in European competitions. Allegri has extended his contract by two more years. There have been suggestions that players like Paul Pogba will look for a move in the summer. At 23 years of age, the Frenchman is regarded as one of the finest midfielders of this generation.

England to face three challenging opponents as the build-up to Euro 2016 begins in earnest for Roy Hodgson’s team who go into the tournament as one of the darkhorses.

Impressive performances against France and Germany in recent friendlies has reignited hope across fans and pundits alike that England do have the talent and quality in order to compete in France this summer.

For those who are fans of Italian football, the match between Juventus and Fiorentina was exciting to watch.

Though Juventus won in the end, the match was an exciting one as they managed to win against their opposing team who kept up a vigilant front. Juventus has now moved closer to gaining the title in Serie A, fifth time in a row.

For those who missed the match, Massimiliano and his team had the opportunity for a goal in the first half. This was disallowed as Sami Khedira was on the offside. Viola on the other hand, was denied an opening strike. There was more drama in the match. Nikole Kalinic put in an equalizer when there was ten minutes left in the game. However, this was cancelled out as Alvaro Morata struck out soon after that.

Former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez may turn the Newcastle United players into robots in the attempts to salvage the club’s Premier League status.

Newcastle turned towards the former Liverpool boss after recently parting company with Steve McClaren. The former England manager left the club facing yet another relegation within a decade. Jamie Carragher is one of those names to have played under Benitez for a considerable amount of time. As a manager, the Spaniard spent much of his career at Liverpool. Carragher says that opposition feared playing against Liverpool since they would not give any space to breathe.

Leicester City’s transformation under Claudio Ranieri has been truly remarkable.

Last season, the club only just secured their Premier League status on the penultimate weekend in a dramatic relegation escape. With nine games remaining of this current campaign, the Foxes are sitting pretty at the top of England’s top-flight and are favourites to lift the trophy; something very few would have predicted before a ball was kicked.

Should Leicester go on to clinch the league title, where would their achievement sit in relation to other memorable footballing stories?