This week in "Le Sportcast," correspondent Louis Massie and France24.com sports editor Emmanuel Versace break down the week’s top stories with backpagefootball.com’s Etienne Michon in Lyon.

Football - Ligue 1

FOOTBALL: LIGUE 1 STANDINGS

With the transfer market window about to close, Monaco is the only club to have invested in a world-class player. The "Rock" have landed Real Madrid’s Mahamadou Diarra on loan through to the end of the season. Strong in defence and clever in getting the ball upfront, the former Lyon player could be the key to bringing some much needed consistency to Monaco and help to lift the club out of its lowly 19th place position.

But the real saga of the transfer window is in the French capital. Paris Saint-Germain sold Benin’s Stéphane Sessegnon to Sunderland for an estimated EUR7 million after weeks of tough negotiation between the player and the club. With Sessegnon gone, PSG is eyeing St Etienne striker Dimitri Payet. However, this could be a long shot as the club doesn’t appear ready to let him go.

And in this weekend's Ligue 1 action, defending champion Marseille had a dismal outing against Monaco resulting in a nil-nil draw (0-0). Could this be the end of the title race for Marseille?

Football - International

Back in June 2010, the French national team was roundly criticised for its immature behaviour at the World Cup when the team refused to train as part of a protest against the manager’s decision to bench Nicolas Anelka.

In response to this mutiny, the French Football Federation banned the team’s leaders, including Patrice Evra and Franck Ribery.

After several months, the manager Laurent Blanc can now reinstate the two players in his squad for an upcoming friendly against Brazil on February 9th. But he may not have the last word. France’s Sports Minister Chantal Jouanno has stepped into the fray by making it clear she does not want to see the once disgraced players wearing the blue jersey. Will Evra and Ribery ever play for Les Bleus again?

Rugby

With just five days to go before the start of the Six Nations, questions are swirling as to whether France can defend its title. After the 59-16 bruising the French got in December at the hands of the Australians, the French XV’s coach Marc Lievremont (pictured) has to prove that he is the right man to lead the squad into the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand. We’ll find out if he’s up to the task next week when the French squad face off against Scotland at the Stade de France in Paris.

Handball

The French team won a record fourth international title Sunday at the World Cup in Sweden. The ‘Experts’ beat Denmark in extra-time (37-35). This is the fourth time France have been crowned world champions.