PARIS (AP) — Lens won its only French league title 27 years ago. But the northern club has confounded expectations this season and tops Ligue 1 ahead of defending champion Paris Saint-Germain.
Long known a coal-mining city, Lens has a passionate and loyal fanbase who ensure a passionate atmosphere at the 38,000-capacity Stade Bollaert-Delelis, and they've been treated to good performances so far.
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FILE - France's Florian Thauvin celebrates after scoring during a World Cup 2026 Group D qualifying soccer match between France and Azerbaijan in Paris, France, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
PSG's Desire Doue claps hands foe his team's supporters after the end of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Athletic Bilbao and PSG in Bilbao, Spain, Wednesday, Dec.10, 2025. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)
Marseille's Mason Greenwood, center left, scores his sides second goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Union SG and Marseilles in Brussels, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
FILE - Lens' Odsonne Edouard kicks the ball during the French League One soccer match between Lens and Marseille in Lens, France, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, File)
Led by the flair of goal-scoring winger Florian Thauvin, Lens is one point ahead of PSG heading into the 16th round.
Lens is at home on Sunday against a Nice side in total disarray after seven straight defeats.
Despite considerable backing from chemicals giant Ineos, which took over six years ago, Nice still seems unable to find the right formula and some fans have turned on the players.
PSG plays on Saturday and travels to face a Metz side which is last place after three straight defeats.
Third-placed Marseille has drifted five points off the lead and can ill afford to drop points at home to Monaco on Sunday.
Fourth-placed Lille is level on points with Marseille and visits struggling Auxerre on Sunday.
Another Mbappé is starting to make a name for himself in French soccer.
Ethan Mbappé is the younger brother of France and Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé.
Unlike his superstar brother, the 18-year-old plays in a midfield role but nevertheless is finding the net for Lille. He scored the winning goal against high-flying Marseille last Friday, taking his league tally this season to three goals and one assist in just eight games.
He also scored the equalizer against his former club PSG earlier this season, showing his knack for big-game goals. Injuries have slowed down Ethan's career up but Lille coach Bruno Genesio is hopeful he can get a consistent run of games.
“If his body allows, he is a starter in the making,” Genesio said. “I hope that he will continue to progress and train without niggles because he's a really interesting player.”
Marseille forward Mason Greenwood showed his clinical finishing in a 3-2 win over Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League on Tuesday.
He is Ligue 1's top scorer with 10 goals and has netted 13 times overall in 20 games this season, after 22 in 36 games last season.
Désiré Doué could start for PSG after returning from injury.
The 20-year-old forward, who starred for PSG when it won the Champions League, came on a substitute on Wednesday against Athletic Bilbao. It was his first appearance since tearing a muscle in his right thigh on Oct. 30.
Lens central defender Jonathan Gradit is a long-term absentee because of a shin fracture sustained in training.
Monaco is waiting on the fitness of goal-scoring winger Ansu Fati, who has a minor hamstring injury.
PSG goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier and right back Achraf Hakimi are nursing ankle injuries, while Marseille forward Amine Gouiri is recovering from a shoulder operation.
Tensions are increasing between French soccer fans and the riot police.
Saint-Étienne fans denounced “police violence” after a 1-0 defeat at Dunkerque last Saturday.
“Saint-Étienne supporters were subjected to indiscriminate and exceptionally intense violence by the police officers present in the away section,” the Green Angels supporters group posted on X. “The police were ordered to charge in a confined space, even though no supporters were hostile towards them.”
The Green Angels said some fans were hit with batons and others received flash-ball shots and were subjected to tear gas.
In September, Lens supporters said they were surrounded by aggressive riot police with baton shields raised when they arrived at a pre-designated area ahead of a game at PSG.
Lens supporters said they were prevented from leaving the bus by the riot police — known as the CRS — who were outside. Women on board were not even allowed to step out to use the toilet when they asked.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - France's Florian Thauvin celebrates after scoring during a World Cup 2026 Group D qualifying soccer match between France and Azerbaijan in Paris, France, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
PSG's Desire Doue claps hands foe his team's supporters after the end of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Athletic Bilbao and PSG in Bilbao, Spain, Wednesday, Dec.10, 2025. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)
Marseille's Mason Greenwood, center left, scores his sides second goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Union SG and Marseilles in Brussels, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
FILE - Lens' Odsonne Edouard kicks the ball during the French League One soccer match between Lens and Marseille in Lens, France, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, File)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore was jailed on Wednesday, according to court records, hours after he was fired for what the university said was an “inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”
According to the Washtenaw County Jail, the 39-year-old Moore had been booked into the facility as of Wednesday evening. The jail's records did not provide any information about why Moore was detained or whether any court appearances were scheduled.
In response to media inquires about Moore, the Pittsfield Township Police Department issued a statement that did not mention anyone by name. According to the statement, police were called to investigate an alleged assault in Pittsfield Township, a couple of miles south of Michigan Stadium, and took a person into custody.
The incident was not random and there was no ongoing threat to public safety, police said, and the person was jailed pending a review of charges by prosecutors.
“Given the nature of the allegations, the need to maintain the integrity of the investigation, and its current status at this time, we are prohibited from releasing additional details,” the statement said.
Michigan said it fired Moore for cause after finding evidence of his relationship with the staffer, ending an up-and-down, two-year tenure that saw the Wolverines take a step back on the field after winning the national championship and getting punished by the NCAA.
“This conduct constitutes a clear violation of university policy, and UM maintains zero tolerance for such behavior,” athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement.
The announcement did not include details of the alleged relationship. Moore, who is married with three young daughters, did not return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Moore was 9-3 this year after going 8-5 in his debut season.
He signed a five-year contract with a base annual salary of $5.5 million last year. According to the terms of his deal, the university will not have to buy out the remaining years of Moore’s contract because he was fired for cause.
College football’s winningest program is suddenly looking for a third coach in four years, shortly after a busy cycle that included Lane Kiffin leaving playoff-bound Mississippi for LSU.
Moore, the team’s former offensive coordinator, was promoted to the lead the Wolverines after they won the 2023 national title. He succeeded Jim Harbaugh, who returned to the NFL to lead the Los Angeles Chargers.
The 18th-ranked Wolverines (9-3, 7-2 Big Ten) are set to play No. 14 Texas on Dec. 31 in the Citrus Bowl.
Biff Poggi, who filled in for Moore when he was suspended earlier this season, will serve as interim coach.
Moore, in his second season, was suspended for two games this year as part of self-imposed sanctions for NCAA violations related to a sign-stealing scandal. The NCAA added a third game to the suspension, which would have kept Moore off the sideline for next year’s opener against Western Michigan.
Moore previously deleted an entire 52-message text thread on his personal phone with former staffer Connor Stalions, who led the team’s sign-sealing operation. The texts were later recovered and shared with the NCAA.
Just a few years ago, Moore was Harbaugh’s top assistant and regarded as a rising star.
Moore, who is from Derby, Kansas, didn’t start playing football until his junior year of high school. He played for Butler County Community College in Kansas and as an offensive lineman for coach Bob Stoops at Oklahoma during the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
His coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Louisville before moving on to Central Michigan, where he caught Harbaugh’s attention. Harbaugh hired him in 2018 as tight ends coach.
Moore was promoted to offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator in 2021, when the Wolverines bounced back from a 2-4, pandemic-shortened season and began a three-year run of excellence that culminated in the school’s first national title in 26 years.
He worked his way up within the Wolverines’ staff and filled in as interim coach for four games during the 2023 championship season while Harbaugh served two suspensions for potential NCAA rules violations.
Moore also served a one-game suspension during that year related to a recruiting infractions NCAA case.
Earlier in the 2023 season, Michigan State fired coach Mel Tucker for cause after he engaged in what he described as consensual phone sex with an activist and rape survivor. In 2012, Arkansas fired coach Bobby Petrino due to a sordid scandal that involved a motorcycle crash, an affair with a woman who worked for him and being untruthful to his bosses.
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
FILE - Michigan acting head coach Sherrone Moore reacts to a video replay during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Ohio State, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/David Dermer, File)
FILE - Michigan offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore, left, and coach Jim Harbaugh watch the team's play against Indiana during an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Oct. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
FILE - Michigan acting head coach Sherrone Moore celebrates a 24-15 win over Penn State following an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger, File)
FILE - Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, left, talks with head coach Sherrone Moore, right, before an NCAA college football spring game in Ann Arbor, Mich., April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, file)
FILE - Michigan coach Sherrone Moore walks off the field following an NCAA football game on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis, File)
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore watches from the sideline during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Ohio State, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
