Renowned British thespian, Idris Elba, has unveiled his previous interest in portraying the iconic character of James Bond, the protagonist of the renowned British fictional franchise, until the issue of racism emerged. During his appearance as a guest on the most recent episode of the Smartless podcast, co-hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, the 50-year-old actor opened up about his thoughts on the matter. Elba confessed that the rumors surrounding his potential casting as James Bond were highly exhilarating for him. Reflecting on the situation, Elba said, “The truth is, I was super complemented for a long time about this [playing the James Bond role]. I was like, ‘This is crazy! James Bond?’ “We are all actors and we understand that role. It’s one of those coveted roles. Being asked to be James Bond was like, ‘Okay, you’ve sort of reached the pinnacle.’ That is one of those things the whole world has a vote in. “It was a huge compliment that every corner of the world, except for some corners, which we will not talk about, were really happy about the idea that I could be considered. Those that weren’t happy about the idea made the whole thing disgusting because it became about race.”
Christophe Galtier at a training with PSG players. Source: Getty Fans reacted furiously to the allegations, leading to Galtier reportedly hiring private protection. Neither PSG nor Nice have commented on the accusations of discrimination. Galtier and Fournier both left Nice last year after working together at the club which is owned by Britain’s second richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe, for just a season. Galtier eventually secured an appointment with PSG as a coach. He led PSG to another French league title as expected, but PSG was eliminated early in the Champions League and the French Cup by rival Marseille this season. PSG’s form slumped after the World Cup, with 10 losses in 28 games in 2023. Galtier has one year left on his contract but PSG has reportedly been holding talks with Luis Enrique to replace him in the coming days. 
Vinicius Jr during a match against Valencia. Source: Getty Valencia’s south stand will be closed and the club has 10 working days to appeal. The RFEF said in a statement; “The Competition Committee has sanctioned Valencia CF with the partial closure of the Mestalla stadium for five matches, more specifically the Mario Kempes south stand, following the events that occurred during the match between the home team and Real Madrid CF. “It is considered proven that, as reflected by the referee in his minutes, there were racist shouts at Vinicius, a Real Madrid CF player, during the aforementioned match, altering the normal course of the match and considering the infractions very serious. In addition, an economic sanction of 45,000 euros is imposed on Valencia. 
Vinicius Jr. identifies fans that racially abused him. Source: Getty “It is possible to file an appeal, within 10 working days, before the Appeals Committee.” Vinicius has been the target of racist abuse multiple times this season and the latest incident has seen him receive support from the footballing world. Before the recent sanction, there has been widespread condemnation of how the incident has been handled, including from the Brazilian government. 
