PARIS (AP) — The French soccer league gave Marseille president Pablo Longoria a 15-match ban on Wednesday after he accused French referees of corruption following a defeat last Saturday.
A furious Longoria spoke about “ true corruption ” following the 3-0 loss at Auxerre, claiming decisions went against his team and suggesting Marseille was the victim of an organized plot. His comments were widely criticized by the referee's union, and Longoria has since apologized.
The French league's disciplinary commission said in a statement that his ban includes “all official functions” such as the bench, and access to the dressing room as well as the tunnel, the field and all other areas leading there.
Former Marseille player Fabrizio Ravanelli, now acting as the club’s adviser, was also left fuming by the Auxerre defeat and accused match referee Jérémy Stinat of “not knowing what he was doing.”
The former Italy and Juventus striker received a three-match ban, with both suspensions effective as from next Tuesday.
Stinat said he received death threats after the game but told sports daily L'Equipe in an interview that he is ready to referee Marseille games immediately.
Marseille is in second place in Ligue 1 and hosts Nantes on Sunday, with Longoria able to attend that game.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Olympique de Marseille president Pablo Longoria listens to a question before a French League One soccer match between Marseille and Lens at the Stade Velodrome stadium in Marseille, France, Sunday, April 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, File)
A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.
A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.
Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.
For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.
The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”
Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.
Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)
