Familiar face returns to Marseille where Habib Beye takes charge amid a title slide

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Marseille is looking to reignite its season with a new coach on board.

The nine-time French champion appointed Habib Beye to replace Roberto De Zerbi following a bad patch of form that saw the club exit the Champions League and drop 12 points behind Ligue 1 leader Lens.

Beye, a former Senegal international who played for Marseille, will be in charge of Friday's trip to Brest.

After leading Red Star to promotion to Ligue 2, Beye spent the last year and a half as the Rennes coach. The club sacked Beye this month.

Marseille has failed to win its past three league games, badly damaging its title hopes. The results including a 5-0 mauling at PSG have left fans fuming. The club hopes Beye, a disciplinarian advocating ball possession and a strong attacking identity, will produce a jolt.

Beye's hiring "refocuses us on the challenges we still need to tackle between now and the end of the season,” Marseille owner Frank McCourt said.

Since McCourt bought Marseille in 2016, the former powerhouse has failed to find any form of stability in a succession of coaches and crises. It hasn’t won the league title since 2010.

PSG abandoned the top spot to Lens after losing to Rennes 3-1 last week. Luis Enrique's team bounced back with a 3-2 win at Monaco in the first leg of their Champions League playoff and hosts last-placed Metz on Saturday. Lens welcomes Monaco the same day.

Third-placed Lyon, on a stunning 13-match winning run, plays at Strasbourg on Sunday.

With the World Cup in his country looming, former Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun is hitting form at the right time. The American forward scored twice inside 18 minutes against PSG and has 10 goals and four assists this season.

At PSG, the man in form is Désiré Doué.

After his team quickly fell behind by two goals against Monaco midweek, Doué came to the rescue to turn things around. The France international was relentless and left his mark on the match after coming on as a replacement for Ousmane Dembélé . He first reduced the deficit, played a role in Achraf Hakimi’s equalizer then netted the winner.

Dembélé is expected to miss PSG's match against Metz because of an injured left calf.

PSG was sanctioned with the partial closure of the Auteuil stand for two matches and a 10,000 euros ($11,800) fine by the disciplinary committee of the French league following banners displayed and insults directed by supporters during the match against Marseille on Feb. 8. at the Parc des Princes. There were brief discriminatory chants about Marseille at the start of the game and the referee stopped play for about one minute around the 70th.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

PSG's Desire Doue scores his side's opening goal during the first-leg of the Champions League playoff soccer match between Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain in Monaco, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)

Strasbourg's Ben Chilwell, bottom, and Marseille's Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg vie for the ball during the French League One soccer match between Marseille and Strasbourg in Marseille, France, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO (AP) — The curling semifinal lineups at the Milan Cortina Olympics are beginning to take shape, with two teams qualifying apiece on the men's and women's side.

Switzerland and Canada have already qualified for the men's curling semifinals. Sweden and Switzerland will occupy spots in the women's semis.

The other spots are still up for grabs and will be decided on Thursday.

The men's semifinal matches are scheduled for 7:05 p.m. The women's semifinals are set for Friday at 2:05 p.m. All times are local.

Here's a quick breakdown.

Switzerland is undefeated going into the semifinals. Canada has won 7 games and lost one, to Switzerland.

Still in contention to make the semifinals are Great Britain, Italy, Norway and the U.S. That will depend on the results of the matches that began Thursday morning. Sweden, the defending gold medalists, are out of contention.

The men’s bronze medal match will be on Friday at 7:05 p.m. The gold medal match will be Saturday at the same time.

Sweden is in the lead in the women's field going into the semifinals. It has won 7 games and lost two, to Korea and Canada.

Switzerland, just behind, has played one fewer game than Sweden. It has won six games and lost two, to Japan and Sweden.

Behind them, Canada, Korea and the U.S. are tied for third place, each having won five games and lost three. The final two spots in the semifinals are up for grabs. There will be one more round of play at 2:05 p.m. Thursday, before the semifinals.

The women's bronze medal game is set for 2:05 p.m. Saturday, and the gold medal game is scheduled for 11:05 a.m. Sunday.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Sweden's Rasmus Wranaa, Oskar Eriksson and Christoffer Sundgren compete during the men's curling round robin session against Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Italy's Joel Retornaz in action during the men's curling round robin session against Switzerland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Germany's Benjamin Kapp, Felix Messenzehl and Johannes Scheuerl in action during the men's curling round robin session against China at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Switzerland's Schwarz-van Berkel Benoit, Sven Michel and Pablo Lachat-Couchepinin action during the men's curling round robin session against Italy at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)