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PSG stars bring the Champions League trophy to the French Open

PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain took its Champions League success to the French Open on Monday when Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele and three teammates raised the trophy for tennis fans.

Dembele and his France teammates Bradley Barcola, Warren Zaire-Emery and Desire Doue received a standing ovation from tennis fans as they took to the sun-drenched Philippe-Chatrier court.

PSG won Europe’s most prestigious club competition for a second straight year on Saturday after beating Arsenal in a tense final which finished with a penalty shootout.

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi was also present at Roland Garros stadium, which is located in western Paris close to PSG’s own arena, the Parc des Princes. A former tennis player, the 52-year-old Al-Khelaïfi played two ATP tour matches, including a loss to 1995 French Open champion Thomas Muster, and played for Qatar in the Davis Cup.

Sporting sunglasses, Dembele shouted “Ici c’est Paris!” (This is Paris!) — one of the favorite chants of PSG fans. Some of the crowd joined in a loud rendition of it.

“We worked every day throughout the season to win this trophy once again,” Dembele said. “We’ll try to win another one next season but before that there is the World Cup with the France team.”

France is among the favorites of the World Cup starting June 11 in Mexico, Canada and the United States.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

NYPD says dozens rescued from human trafficking during World Cup

By WTOP Staff
▶ Watch Video: Inside look at security preparations for World Cup Forty-three people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, according to the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit.The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals."The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners," said Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit.Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported with an array of social services for the victims, including food, housing and counseling.The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway."We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations," an NYPD official told CBS News.Major sporting events are known to law enforcement as hotbeds of human trafficking.Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup. Eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday."When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry," Marcus said. "Whether they're on parole or probation for human trafficking, we visited them to make sure they're compliant with the terms of their release, and secondly, to let them know that the NYPD is watching."The matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Preparations to secure those games and prepare for crimes like human trafficking were coordinated between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches have made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri. Nationally, there were more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges made during the World Cup, and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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