International News
French PM To Testify On Child Abuse Scandal
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Wednesday faces one of the most delicate moments of his five months in office as he responds to questions from a parliamentary committee investigating claims of sexual abuse at a Catholic school.
Bayrou has faced accusations from the opposition that as education minister in the mid-1990s he knew of widespread physical and sexual abuse at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school in southwestern France over many decades.
The 73-year-old politician, who served as France’s education minister between 1993 and 1997, has denied any wrong-doing and denounced what he calls a campaign of “destruction” against him.
Speaking on Saturday, he said his appearance before the committee would give him an “opportunity to prove that all this was false”.
Centrist Bayrou, the sixth prime minister of President Emmanuel Macron’s mandate, was named head of government last December. He has been given the daunting task of hauling France out of months of political crisis.
Until now Bayrou has managed to survive a no-confidence vote in a divided parliament but the Betharram affair has damaged his credibility and his approval rating has been steadily declining in recent weeks.
Bayrou’s popularity rating dropped below that of Macron for the first time last week, according to a poll published on Friday, with only 27 percent of French people approving of his work.
Political analysts have said Bayrou could face further pressure depending on his performance during the hearing, which is set to begin at 5:00 pm (1500 GMT) Wednesday.
“The Betharram school scandal may not be sufficient in itself to bring down Bayrou but could embolden his parliamentary enemies, and supposed friends, to pull the plug on the government for other reasons,” said the Eurasia Group.
“Reasons for dissatisfaction abound,” the political risk consultancy added, pointing to France’s budgetary crisis.
‘If he lies, he’s dead’
The two co-rapporteurs of the commission, Paul Vannier and Violette Spillebout, will question Bayrou about what he knew about alleged violence, sexual assault and rape committed at the school near the southwestern town of Pau where Bayrou has been mayor since 2014.
Several of his children attended the Catholic school, and his wife taught religious studies there.
Bayrou’s statements have been contradicted by a number of people including his own daughter.
In April, Bayrou’s eldest daughter accused the clergy running the school of systemic abuse including while her father was a local official, saying a priest beat her during summer camp when she was 14.
Helen Perlant, who is now 53 and uses her mother’s name, said however that her father did not know about the incident.
Few in Bayrou’s team believe that he will be brought down over the scandal.
But “if he lies before parliament, he’s dead” politically, said a senior supporter of Macron, asking not to be named.
Bayrou has survived multiple no-confidence motions partially due to support from the Socialists. But one Socialist lawmaker, who asked not to be named, believes Bayrou is “politically finished”.
Greens have accused him of “perjury” and have called for his resignation.
A Bayrou associate emphasised that the prime minister is not the subject of the inquiry.
The inquiry focuses on “the methods used by the state to monitor and prevent violence in schools”.
After hearing witnesses, victims and former ministers, the two rapporteurs plan to deliver their conclusions in late June.
In total, 200 legal complaints have been filed since February last year accusing priests and staff at Betharram of physical or sexual abuse from 1957 to 2004.
On Monday, the father of one of the victims accused Bayrou of “lying” because the affair “was hindering his political rise”.
Some of the boarders said the experience had scarred them for life, recounting how some priests visited boys at night.
“The state has failed and has not protected the children of Betharram,” said Alain Esquerre, who represents a collective of school survivors.
AFP
Manuel Neuer has been called up to Germany’s World Cup squad – two years after his international retirement.
The 40-year-old was named as part of Julian Nagelsmann’s 26-man squad for the tournament this summer, having not featured for his country since Euro 2024.
Among the list include Premier League players Malick Thiaw and Nick Woltemade – both of Newcastle – Arsenal striker Kai Havertz, Liverpool midfielder Florian Wirtz and Brighton’s Pascal Gross.
Injured duo Serge Gnabry and Anton Stach and forwards Karim Adeyemi, Kevin Schade and Niclas Fullkrug are among those to miss out.
Germany’s World Cup squad in full
Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Alexander Nubel (Stuttgart)
Defenders: Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund), Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich), Malick Thiaw (Newcastle)
Midfielders: Pascal Gross (Brighton), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool), Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart)
Forwards: Maximilian Beier (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Galatasaray), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart), Nick Woltemade (Newcastle)
Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has opened up on the club’s decision to appoint Xabi Alonso as their new manager.
The Blues confirmed the Spaniard as their next head coach following the conclusion of the 2025-26 season, with Alonso set to take charge ahead of the upcoming campaign.
Mikel had previously been vocal about Chelsea’s managerial philosophy, urging the club’s ownership to move away from short-term head coaches and interim appointments and instead bring in a proper manager with full control over the squad
Speaking on his most recent podcast, Mikel said:
“I am glad the owners listened to me, and listened to the fans.
“Forget about coaches, what we have always had are managers, and what we need is a manager who decides on the players he wants out and the players who can stay.
“We need a strong personality, and that is what we have got now in Alonso.
“That title has been changed from coach to manager, but I hope it’s not just words and he is actually allowed to manage the squad. But I am very happy with the appointment.”
Chelsea are still in the hunt for Europa League football, and a win over Sunderland on the final day of the Premier League season would go a long way in determining whether Alonso inherits a European stage to build on next season.
Enzo Maresca is believed to have signed a three-year deal to replace outgoing Man City manager Pep Guardiola, after it was revealed that the legendary head coach will be leaving the Etihad at the end of the season.
Speculation around Guardiola’s departure date has been rife as the season draws to a close, despite the Catalan having one year left on his contract.
According to report, Man City’s sponsors were among those to have been told that Guardiola will be calling time on a remarkable trophy-ladened spell on Sunday.
The report also shared that Maresca, Guardiola’s former assistant, was a front-runner for the vacant spot at the dugout, with Fabrizio Romano confirming on Tuesday morning that the ex-Chelsea manager will be taking over.
The Italian head coach has been out of work since his mutual departure from Stamford Bridge under strained circumstances on January 1.
But even before his acrimonious mid-season exit, Maresca has been viewed as a long-term successor to Guardiola following their stint working together at Man City.
The 46-year-old served as Guardiola’s assistant between 2022 and 2023 after previously coaching Man City’s youth sides, before departing to earn Championship promotion with Leicester.
Maresca then went on to win the Uefa Conference League and the Club World Cup with Chelsea during his 18-month spell in west London.
Guardiola is set to celebrate his time in English football with an open-top bus parade in Manchester after winning the Carabao Cup and FA Cup this season, but until Monday night, the manager had been notably vague over his future plans.
But before news broke of his shock exit, Guardiola had been keen to tamp down any suggestions that he would be commemorated with any fanfare.
‘The club don’t have to do anything, honestly,’ Guardiola, who has yet to officially confirm his departure, said. ‘The important thing in our lives is that when you look back, you can look with a big smile and say “that was good”.
‘Bernardo (Silva) and John (Stones) can feel that. We spoke about it over the last few days. When you’re old, a grandfather, you can look at the memories. That is the most important thing in life.’
Tired of addressing his contractual situation, Guardiola added with a dose of sarcasm: ‘Whatever happens at the end of the season – and when I extend my contract for three more years – I can look back and say, “how nice has that been?”
‘That is the most important thing by far. Most of the people who lived this time here together can feel it.’
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