As the players emerge from the tunnel for their final warmup before kickoff, the absence of young mascots strikes you - and there no handshakes with the opposition. The referee blows his whistle... and a deathly silence envelops the stadium. That is the reality of covering live sport in the age of coronavirus, as AFP's sports correspondent in western France, Fanny Carrier, explains.

"It’s not every day that I get to write a story with a happy ending worthy of a 21st century fairytale", writes Serene Assir.  Having survived a bomb attack in their native Baghdad, Ahmad and Alia, decided five years ago to risk it all to give their son a life in peace and security. After a long, excruciating wait, they have been granted asylum.