It was decided to honor German tennis star Angelique Kerber and give her the title of “Sports Legend” during the “Sports Press Ball” ceremony, scheduled to be held in the German city of Frankfurt on November 7.
Kerber joins a list of prominent athletes who have received this honor, including Michael Schumacher, the seven-time world champion in Formula 1 racing, and the football stars who won the World Cup: Franz Beckenbauer, Lothar Matthäus and Rudi Föller, along with former tennis player Boris Becker... and others.
Kerber said: “I don’t feel like I’m that old yet, but this award means a lot to me. It’s a great honor.” She added during a press conference on Monday: “I always wanted to be seen as an athlete who gave her all and left her heart on the field. I think I achieved that. “I have achieved all my dreams, and things could not be better.”
During her professional career, Kerber won three Grand Slam titles and topped the world rankings for women's tennis for 34 weeks.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced that there are no plans to cancel the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, scheduled for Tuesday, as part of the Champions League football competitions, despite the security unrest and acts of violence witnessed in several French cities during the past days.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed that the authorities do not intend to cancel or postpone the upcoming football matches, including the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, pointing to taking additional security measures and enhancing the deployment of police and gendarmerie forces, to reduce acts of vandalism and looting.
Olympique Marseille Club said that its official store, located on Rue de la Canebière, the city's historic main street, was looted during the unrest that took place in France at the beginning of this week. The club competing in the French Premier League condemned the incident today (Monday).
The club said in a statement: “Olympique de Marseille condemns in the strongest possible terms the acts of violence and looting that targeted its official store in Canepierre, and expresses its solidarity with its partner (Puma), who runs the store.”
He added: “These events caused severe property damage, forcing the club to temporarily close this store to the public. However, fans can continue to visit Olympique Marseille's other official stores in the city. The club will inform its fans as soon as conditions allow the store to reopen.”
These confirmations came in conjunction with Locorno’s announcement, on Monday, directing the governors of the regions to impose a partial and limited curfew, with the aim of protecting individuals and property, especially stores that were subjected to acts of violence over the weekend.
It is expected that the areas covered by the curfew will be determined in consultation with mayors and concerned authorities, while the French government revealed that at least three thousand stores were damaged as a result of the recent unrest.
France witnessed one of the worst waves of unrest in years at the beginning of this week, as thousands of people were arrested and stores were looted or vandalized, during protests against high prices and the decline in the level of public services.
Earlier today, Marseille authorities imposed a ban on public gatherings or demonstrations throughout the city, following the outbreak of violent protests and looting. This measure took effect from midday until eight in the evening.
Marseille occupies ninth place in the French League after 7 matches, and will return to the competition on Thursday, when it visits Austria's Sturm Graz in the European League.
