PRAGUE (AP) — Brian Priske has agreed to return to Sparta Prague on a multiple-year contract after a stint at Feyenoord, the Czech club said.
Priske started at Sparta three years ago and immediately led the struggling team to its first title in nine years. He successfully defended the title last year and completed a double by winning the Czech Cup.
Under Priske, Sparta reached the round of 16 in the Europa League where it was eliminated by Liverpool in the 2023-24 season.
Last summer, Sparta agreed to release Priske before the end of his contract to take over at Feyenoord when Arne Slot became the Liverpool manager.
Priske led Feyenoord in 33 games in all competitions, won the Dutch Super Cup and advanced from the league phase of the Champions League but was fired in February due to inconsistent results in the domestic league.
Priske replaces his former assistant Lars Friis, who was fired after Sparta’s fourth-place finish in the Czech league.
“Now, I’m back with at least the same hunger as before — maybe even more,” Priske said.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Feyenoord's head coach Brian Priske gives instructions during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between SL Benfica and Feyenoord at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca, File)
PARIS (AP) — A Paris court is to rule on Monday in a case involving 10 people accused of cyberbullying French first lady Brigitte Macron by spreading false online claims about her gender and sexuality, allegations her daughter said damaged her health and family life.
The defendants, eight men and two women aged 41 to 60, are accused of posting “numerous malicious comments” falsely claiming that President Emmanuel Macron ’s wife was born a man and linking the 24-year age gap with her husband to pedophilia. Some of the posts were viewed tens of thousands of times.
Brigitte Macron did not attend the two-day trial in October.
Her daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, testified about what she described as the “deterioration” of her mother’s life since the online harassment intensified. “She cannot ignore the horrible things said about her,” Auzière told the court. She said the impact has extended to the entire family, including Macron’s grandchildren.
Defendant Delphine Jegousse, 51, who is known as Amandine Roy and describes herself as a medium and an author, is considered as having played a major role in spreading the rumor after she released a four-hour video on her YouTube channel in 2021.
The X account of Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, 41, known as Zoé Sagan on social media, was suspended in 2024 after his name was cited in several judicial investigations.
Other defendants include an elected official, a teacher and a computer scientist. Several told the court their comments were intended as humor or satire and said they did not understand why they were being prosecuted. They face up to two years in prison if convicted.
The case follows years of conspiracy theories falsely alleging that Brigitte Macron was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is actually the name of her brother. The Macrons have also filed a defamation suit in the United States against conservative influencer Candace Owens.
The Macrons, who have been married since 2007, first met at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher. Brigitte Macron, 24 years her husband’s senior, was then called Brigitte Auzière, a married mother of three.
Emmanuel Macron, 48, has been France’s president since 2017.
FILE - French President's wife Brigitte Macron arrives ahead of the ceremony outside "La Belle Equipe" bar, Thursday Nov. 13, 2025 in Paris as part of ceremonies marking the 10th anniversary of terrorist attacks. (Ludovic Marin, Pool photo via AP, File)
