Defensive troubles for French clubs
Thursday, March 4, 2004
Article summary
AJ Auxerre's Johan Radet and Olympique de Marseille's Demetrius Ferreira are out of next week's UEFA Cup ties.
Article body
Influential figure
The 27-year-old was replaced after eleven minutes in Athens by Jean-Sébastien Jaurès as Auxerre won 1-0 to advance to the last 16 by the same aggregate score. Radet has been an influential figure at the Abbé Deschamps this season, playing 25 out of 26 Ligue 1 matches.
Defensive struggles
Auxerre do not know what Radet's recovery period will be, as they are awaiting the results of tests on his hamstring. Coach Guy Roux is already without two French international defenders through injury: Philippe Mexes has a damaged thigh and Jean-Alain Boumsong is nursing a fractured eye socket.
Ferreira blow
Meanwhile, Auxerre's Ligue 1 rivals Olympique de Marseille have also lost a player to injury. The southern side are waiting for a diagnosis on Demetrius Ferreira's ankle after he went over on it during last night's third-round win against FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. The 30-year-old Brazilian is definitely out of the first leg of the fourth-round tie against Liverpool FC.
