A taxi driver who charged visitors to Glasgow £80 for a journey of less than three miles to a Beyonce concert has had his licence suspended.

Dharminder Singh was banned from operating for three months after Glasgow Council's licensing committee upheld the findings of an inquiry.
It was also claimed he allowed eight passengers into the taxi - even though he was only permitted to carry six.
Mr Singh disputed the claims and said he had charged £11.20 and was paid £18.
In a statement, he said the group had been rowdy and one passenger had called him "Taliban" more than once.
"The girl took my photo and accused me of taking a long route and overcharging," he said.
The committee was shown a statement from the complainant.
It said: "The driver asked for £80 upfront and gave us the option to pay it or get out of the taxi.
"We asked how the fare was so expensive and he couldn't give us an explanation.
"Luckily, we had the money to pay it or we could have been left in Glasgow, lost and in a vulnerable situation."
The passenger also said Mr Singh had dropped them about a mile away from Hampden, despite other taxi passengers being dropped off closer to the venue.
The committee heard that seven witness statements from the other passengers had been read to Mr Singh, which he described as lies.
Following the committee's decision, councillor Frank Docherty said Mr Singh had deliberately attempted to exploit people desperate to get to a concert on time.
"By overloading his cab, the driver also put passenger safety at risk and people who use taxis in Glasgow have a right to expect higher standards than this.
"The committee will always take action against those who fail to meet the standards expected of them."


A woman on a bus was racially abused and threatened by a fellow passenger who intimated he would set her on fire.

The "racist and Islamophobic" attack took place as the 22-year-old victim travelled on the number 50 bus along Alcester Road in Moseley, Birmingham, police said.
The man repeatedly lit a lighter towards the end of the abuse, that lasted half an hour.
West Midlands Police said a 49-year-old man had been arrested.
The woman was not injured as a result of the threats on Tuesday at 13:50 GMT.
But she was badly shaken and got off the bus two stops early as she feared for her own safety, police said.
Det Con Nigel Box said: "Following the appeal, we received a huge number of calls from the public, which led directly to [a man's] quick arrest."


Police officers who "paid the ultimate sacrifice" by dying in the line of duty have been commemorated at a service at St Paul's Cathedral in London.

About 2,000 people attended the National Police Memorial Day ceremony, led by Prince Charles.
The family of Constable Fiona Bone, who was killed by Dale Cregan in 2011, attended the service.
The Prince of Wales said the "security challenges of today" emphasised the importance of the police.
Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe and home secretary Amber Rudd were also in attendance.
Police officers who were specially remembered during the service included PC Dave Phillips, who died in October 2015.
The father-of-two was killed when trying to stop a stolen pick-up truck in Wallasey, Merseyside, while crouched on the kerb with a tyre-puncturing stinger.
The truck, driven by Clayton Williams, swerved straight for the police officer and killed him on impact.
The then 19-year-old drug addict was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 20 years in a young offenders institute, as well as being banned from driving for life.
Mr Phillip's eight-year-old daughter Abigail took part in the service by lighting a candle to remember the 34-year-old officer.
Members of the force in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland also lit candles during the ceremony.
Prince Charles, who is a patron of the National Police Memorial Day charity, wrote in the order of service: "For many of us, the security challenges of today further underscore the importance of the Police and their ongoing commitment to protecting us all, despite the inevitable risks that they face on a daily basis."
Founder of the charity Joe Holness said: "National Police Memorial Day unites the country in national recognition of officers who have given us their all. It is a significant day of remembrance to ensure our fallen officers must not, and will not, be forgotten."


In 1992, senators and MPs in Brazil's Congress came together to impeach the country's first democratically elected president in almost 30 years.

Fernando Collor de Mello (simply known as Collor) had won the votes of 53% of the electorate three years earlier, but was caught in a massive corruption scandal.
Mr Collor's impeachment was a clear-cut case. There was abundant proof of bribes paid to him and a smoking gun - a car that was bought with illegal money. Also Collor was part of a small political party with weak support both from Congress and the streets.
Twenty-four years later, Brazil has for the second time impeached a president. But this time the circumstances seem far less clear cut.
Although polls suggest there is ample rejection of Dilma Rousseff as a president, the question of whether she is guilty of a crime punishable with the loss of her mandate has proven explosively controversial in Brazil.
How did things get to this point and how will history look back on the impeachment of Brazil's first woman president?
Over the course of 18 months Ms Rousseff's condemnation in a trial in the Senate went from being highly unlikely to virtually inevitable.
The seeds of her impeachment were planted in the days after her victory by a small margin in the hard-fought 2014 presidential campaign. The opposition asked for a recount of votes and accused her campaign of funding irregularities.
Meanwhile, Ms Rousseff laid out her plans for the economy, which was already deteriorating rapidly at that stage. Despite her campaign hitting hard at those who proposed an austere fiscal adjustment of spending cuts, she adopted many of the very same measures she had demonised as a candidate.
Markets initially reacted with optimism to the appointment of her new economic team, but the opposition galvanised support from those who felt betrayed by her U-turn on the economy.
That feeling burst onto the streets three months after she was re-inaugurated, with hundreds of thousands of protestors marching against her government in dozens of cities. Many similar demonstrations would be repeated in the coming weeks.
New revelations of a corruption probe into the state oil company Petrobras caused even greater damage to her Workers' Party, with her political strategist and the party's treasurer being arrested. The company had to admit losses of $2bn (Â£1.5bn) due to corruption.
2015 proved to be disastrous for the economy and markets soon turned against her, as a rift became clear between two key ministers with opposing views on how to fix the problems.
Inflation spiked and millions lost their jobs, after a heavy contraction in consumption and investment. In September, Brazilian bonds were downgraded to junk by one credit ratings agency. Brazil's currency lost almost half of its value and the stock market reached its lowest level in seven years.
But still no crime had been directly imputed to Ms Rousseff, despite more than 30 requests having been filed in Congress asking for her impeachment, under various allegations.
That changed when a fiscal court rejected her 2014 government accounts, detecting a special manoeuvre that had been used to mis-state the size of the hole in the government's budget.
Those budget problems played a key role in raising Brazil's debt and undermining the confidence in the economy.
In December, a series of unexpected political events radically shifted the course of Ms Rousseff's political future.
Up until that point she still had the support of Eduardo Cunha, the speaker of the Lower House of Congress, who had the power to accept or veto all impeachment requests against her.
Mr Cunha was being investigated in an ethics committee in Congress for allegedly having secret bank accounts. Barely hours after three MPs from Ms Rousseff's Workers' Party said they would vote against Mr Cunha in the committee, the Speaker accepted an impeachment request against the president.
Ms Rousseff was accused of being directly responsible for continuing with the use of illegal fiscal manoeuvres.
The impeachment process became a high-stakes political game.
In March 2016, Ms Rousseff's junior coalition partner - the PMDB party - abandoned her, which significantly weakened her stance in Congress. Her vice-president, Michel Temer, started his own backstage campaign for office.
In one of the most controversial moves of her career, Ms Rousseff invited former president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, into her government. The ministerial position would grant him special prosecuting privileges, as he is the subject of three investigations into alleged corruption.
A court order, based on tapped conversations between Ms Rousseff and Mr Lula, blocked his return to Brasilia and caused havoc in the political scene. On 17 April, Ms Rousseff lost her first major battle in Congress, when 367 MPs approved the impeachment proceedings against her.
The Workers' Party, that for the past 13 years had built a strong coalition in Congress, garnered only 137 votes. On 12 May, Ms Rousseff was suspended by the Senate.
Ms Rousseff's trial in the Senate raised important questions about Brazil's democratic institutions. Was she ousted for having committed a crime - or was that just a pretext to remove a president who had lost control of the economy and politics?
Her fiscal manoeuvres were thoroughly examined during the sessions, but it wasn't just that crime that was on trial. Her government policies, her U-turn in the economy after the election and corruption in her party were constantly part of the debate.
Also, as the trial unfolded, Michel Temer's interim government started its work in reforming the economy and outlining new policies. Senators - and Brazilians - knew that the question of condemning Ms Rousseff went beyond just deciding technically whether she was guilty or not.
It also entailed choosing between two distinct projects for Brazil - which made this impeachment process seem at times more like an election.
Brazilian society is much more fragmented and divided today than it was after Mr Collor's impeachment. Polls suggest the majority of Brazilians do not want either Ms Rousseff or Mr Temer at the helm, and would much rather see new elections - although that option was never on the table.
The question of whether history will look back on this impeachment process as a positive or negative step for Brazil now depends on how Mr Temer handles all the issues where Ms Rousseff failed since her re-election in 2014 - fixing the economy and battling corruption in the government.


League One club Walsall have signed Celtic centre-back Eoghan O'Connell on loan until the end of the season.

The 21-year-old Republic of Ireland Under-21 international has played seven games for the Scottish champions this season, including a Champions League group game against Barcelona.
"We've had to fight off competition from clubs in England and the SPFL," Saddlers boss Jon Whitney said.
Left-back Scott Laird has also extended his loan until the end of the season.
The 28-year-old spent the first half of the campaign on loan from Scunthorpe, scoring three goals in 22 games.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page or visit our Premier League tracker here.


Bakery firm Genius Foods has shot up the rankings of Scotland's top brands, according to research published in Scottish Grocer.

The Edinburgh-based free-from bakery was 28th in its list of the most valuable Scottish brands to Scotland's food and drink retailers.
That was 17 places higher than it achieved last year.
The top brand once again was Irn-Bru, produced by Cumbernauld-based soft drinks producer AG Barr.
Stirlingshire-based Graham's The Family Dairy took second place, making it the most valuable Scottish dairy and food brand.
Larbert-based Malcolm Allan, which sells a range of meat products including steak pies and lorne sausage, was third.
The list of the top 50 non-alcohol Scottish food and drink brands was compiled by consultancy Kantar Worldpanel.
The rankings were based on the value of take-home sales within Scotland.
Top 10 Scottish non-alcohol food and drink brands:
1.  Irn-Bru
2.  Graham's The Family Dairy
3.  Malcolm Allan
4.  Baxters
5.  Bells Pies and Pastry
6.  Tunnock's
7.  McIntosh
8.  Wiseman
9.  Mackie's
10. Seriously Strong
Source: Kantar Worldpanel/Scottish Grocer
This year saw Edinburgh-based Indian foods producer Mrs Unis enter the top 50 for the first time.
The company makes handmade Indian snacks, nan breads and chapatis for the retail, catering and wholesale market.
Among the biggest risers on the list were meat product firms We Hae Meat, which moved up from 43rd to 30th, and Hall's, which rose seven places to 22nd.
In a separate list, Glens Vodka was the top take-home alcohol brand in Scotland, followed by Tennent's, Famous Grouse, Whyte & Mackay and Bells Whisky.
Johnnie Walker was 25th in the list, just behind BrewDog.


Carl Froch retained his IBF super-middleweight crown and gained sweet revenge on Mikkel Kessler with a thrilling win on points at London's O2 Arena.

The Nottingham fighter started faster but his Danish rival, who beat Froch in Denmark in 2010, found his feet in the middle rounds.
But Froch, 35, kept his head and marginally had the better of some barbaric rounds down the stretch.
Froch took a unanimous decision, winning 118-10, 116-12 and 115-113 on the three judges' scorecards.
"It was an absolutely sensational fight, we will never see that again. I thought the referee was about to step in at one point but Froch dug deep.
"Both had to dig deep, you never thought Kessler was going to come back after those first three rounds but he did and then Carl had to recover after Kessler had a good spell.
"Froch was second to none. In the first round you thought Carl was on top and then Kessler found something forcing Carl to dig deep.
"But whenever questions were asked of Carl he found the answers."
"It feels really good," Froch said. "The only thing that feels bad is that I have had to beat such a real gentleman, a real warrior and real nice man.
"He did hurt me a couple of times; I think everybody saw that," he told Sky Sports. "But I hurt him a little bit more and I thought I deserved the win. I thought it was unanimously my fight.
"I was close to getting the stoppage towards the end but, when I went in for the finish, what did he do? He fought back with a couple of big, hard shots. Big respect to him."
His victory could pave the way for a rematch with American Andre Ward, who outclassed and outpointed the Englishman in Atlantic City in 2011.
Ward, the WBA title-holder, was ringside at the O2 but Froch and Kessler, 34, could go again, given the barbaric and dramatic nature of their two fights so far and the fact they are so evenly matched.
While Kessler had only boxed 13 rounds since outpointing Froch in their first fight, Froch had fought five times, including last year's thrilling demolition of Canada's Lucian Bute.
And Kessler started slower, although Froch probably stole the opening round with a couple of flurries late on.
If some of the verbal exchanges in the build-up were trashy and the atmosphere before the first bell was electric, the first two rounds were relatively cagey.
Froch continued to control the centre of the ring in the second, keeping Kessler at bay with his jab and landing with a snappy left-right combination that caught his rival off-balance.
Kessler had some success with his jab in the third but Froch also landed with a crisp left hook and it looked like another round for the Englishman.
The Dane came into the fight in the fourth, demonstrating the speed he is renowned for and repeatedly beating Froch to the punch with his jab.
And the fight came alive in the fifth, with Kessler landing with two looping left hooks and bringing Froch to a standstill with a flurry of blows on the bell.
Kessler rocked Froch with a thunderous left-right combination at the start of the sixth and as the round progressed it appeared the Dane had gained control of the contest.
Froch got the better of some furious exchanges in the seventh as the 20,000 capacity crowd warmed to the action but they had not seen anything yet.
Kessler landed with a booming overhand right early in the eighth only for Froch to retaliate with a couple of rights of his own and stiffen his opponent with a sickening left-right combination.
By the ninth the fight had settled into a grim rhythm, with the pendulum swinging back and forth, but Kessler did the smarter work, making Froch grimace with a couple of stabbing blows to the body.
Froch probably nicked a ragged 10th courtesy of his superior work-rate but the Dane took the 11th, hurting his rival with some slick and heavy-handed combinations and paving the way for a grandstand finish.
The final round was a classic, with Froch mercilessly stalking his prey and Kessler hanging on for dear life when the final bell sounded.
If not Ward or Kessler, Froch, who improved to 31 wins and two defeats in 33 professional fights, might be tempted into a bout against American legend Bernard Hopkins, who defends his IBF light-heavyweight title against Karo Murat in July.
Wales's WBO light-heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly has also expressed an interest in fighting Froch, as has Froch's fellow Englishman George Groves, who beat Uruguay's Noe Gonzalez in spectacular fashion on the undercard.
Kessler, whose only other losses in a 49-fight career, were against Welsh great Joe Calzaghe in 2007 and Ward in 2009, said he might retire if he lost to Froch but he might now be persuaded to change his mind.


If ever a country needed an event to be a success, it is France right now on the eve of Euro 2016.

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Some 210 days after suicide bombers began a harrowing night of terror at the Stade de France stadium in Paris, an attack that eventually cost the lives of 130 people, the European Championship will get under way at the same venue on Friday, when the hosts take on Romania.
It is sure to be an emotionally charged evening of celebration, togetherness, defiance, and remembrance. But also of trepidation.
The hope here is that the competition can help France demonstrate its way of life is resilient after November's attacks, and the Charlie Hebdo killings the previous January.
There is also hope the host nation can emulate the multi-racial World Cup winning team of 1998, and be a unifying force for good - and that the first major tournament to be held since Fifa's great corruption scandal erupted just over a year ago can finally put the focus back on the sport itself, helping football to recover from 12 months of disgrace.
But rarely before has a major international sports event such as this taken place amid such heightened security concerns.
November's attacks, and the subsequent atrocities in Brussels, in March, meant there were already fears jihadists were plotting to target Euro 2016, with reports that the so-called Islamic State (IS) cell responsible intended to carry out another assault on the tournament.
Last month, it was reported that data found on a laptop used by Paris attacker Salah Abdeslam suggested jihadists wanted to use suicide bombs, assault rifles and even drones carrying chemical weapons to attack England and Russia fans in Marseille this weekend.
The anxiety has only intensified this week.
The US and British governments have both warned fans they could be at risk. And, according to Ukraine's security service, a French citizen arrested armed to the teeth with an arsenal of weapons had been planning attacks to coincide with the tournament.
Crowd trouble during the French cup final at the Stade de France last month, worries over the safety of a giant fan zone next to the Eiffel Tower, and recent transport strikes have also done little to breed confidence.
Little wonder, perhaps, that Germany defender Jerome Boateng - who played in the November friendly against France - has told his family to stay away from the matches for fear of a repeat.
According to Richard Walton, the former head of counter-terrorism at New Scotland Yard, the threat to Euro 2016 is "more acute than for any other international sporting event in history".
Organisers Uefa, and the French authorities, insist they have done everything possible to keep the 2.5 million spectators expected at the 51 matches safe.
Some 90,000 police and military personnel are on duty, and security measures have been intensified at the 10 stadiums, the host-city fan parks, and at transport hubs.
A national state of emergency has also been extended to cover the duration of the competition.
Even in tranquil Chantilly, where the England team is based, the unprecedented security operation is obvious.
Armed troops are on constant patrol outside the squad's luxury hotel.
And reports of dramatically realistic terror training drills in various host cities are a regular feature on French TV news bulletins.
England defender Chris Smalling spoke for many players this week when he said the squad had not even discussed the risk of a terror attack.
The head of Europol, meanwhile, has said he is concerned by the possibility of an attack, but also that he has been impressed by the French security effort.
Sport is no stranger to the threat of terrorism, of course.
One need only recall the 1972 Munich Games, when Palestinian militants took the Israeli national team hostage.
Or the 2011 cricket World Cup, which had to drop Pakistan as co-host after an attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore.
But sport is also resilient.
Terror warnings were a feature of the build-up to the London 2012 Games, and yet the event passed off peacefully.
There were fears ahead of the 2014 Winter Games, after bomb attacks in Volgograd. Yet Sochi's security was a success.
Paris has just hosted the French Open tennis tournament. Six Nations rugby games and Champions League fixtures have all taken place in the capital over recent months without incident. It is bidding to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and regarded as one of the favourites.
"We want the Euros to be a celebration," Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, tells me in her office at City Hall on the banks of the Seine.
"After the attacks such an event is so important to mobilise the entire French population towards a more optimistic mood. It's also a way for us to say to the entire world that we are here and we will be welcoming you to Paris. We don't want to give up our way of life - that is the best answer to give to terrorists - and sport is a unifying factor."
Hidalgo has played an important role as the city tries to move on from November's trauma, and insists the authorities can deliver a successful and safe event.
"We have been preparing for months and months. The French parliament, the army and Interpol have worked together. We get inspiration from what London did in 2012. My message is come and enjoy this moment of fraternity."
France's 10 Euro 2016 stadiums
Euro 2016 - Uefa website
Historically, it was hooliganism rather than terrorism that most concerned the organisers of international football tournaments.
But the world has changed, and sport has had to change with it.
Even now, it is unsettling to see armed soldiers on the streets of Paris, additional bag checks at fan parks, and double security perimeters around stadiums.
But it is also a sign of the times.
What once would have seemed excessive and out of place in a sporting context, now feels reassuring.
Many of those who come here will feel an inevitable sense of nervousness about the risk they are taking.
But they will also feel pride that they are part of something that shows that life carries on.
Euro 2016 is being staged in a country at war.
Some believe this is the wrong place and the wrong time to be hosting such an event.
Others, that the threat France faces is the very reason why Euro 2016 simply must take place, here and now.


Wolves goalkeeper Carl Ikeme is still struggling with a hamstring injury so Andy Lonergan is set to keep his place against Championship leaders Brighton.

Helder Costa (ankle) has missed Wolves' past two games but may feature.
Long-term absentees Connor Goldson and Shane Duffy are the only Brighton players unavailable for the Seagulls' trip to Molineux.
Full-backs Gaetan Bong and Liam Rosenior will hope to feature after being rested for the win at QPR.


Female students are less likely to aim for top graduate jobs but more likely to land them if they apply, says the Association of Graduate Recruiters.

Its survey of leading employers found that, while 54% of students are women, they make up just 47% of graduate scheme applicants.
But they took 49% of the posts, the responses by 170 employers showed.
"Many women don't apply for the top schemes when they should," said AGR chief executive Stephen Isherwood.
Improving the gender diversity of graduate programmes is largely a challenge of attracting women in the first place, says the report.
Once they apply women are more likely to be hired, according to the survey sent to AGR members in April this year.
Even in male-dominated areas such as IT and engineering, women are proportionally more likely to succeed once they decide to apply, the survey found.
For example, women make up only 17% of IT students and 15% of engineering students, but succeed in getting 27% and 25% respectively of the places on graduate schemes in these fields, the report suggests.
This means that while men make up 83% and 85% of the student population in these fields, they find it relatively tougher to get work - taking 73% and 75% of the jobs.
But in the field of law the reverse is true - 63% of students are female but only 58% of the graduate scheme posts go to women.
Graduate employers are making efforts to boost the numbers of women they hire, the research found.
Three quarters of the firms which responded to the survey had a diversity strategy in place, and the majority said redressing workplace gender imbalance was the highest priority.
Construction and engineering firms were particularly successful, increasing the share of women hires by 3% and 4% respectively in a year, says the report.
Mr Isherwood says considerable barriers to gender equality remain.
"Graduate employers want to hire women, there are lots of opportunities out there and these candidates are more likely to succeed, so we need to address why they're not applying.  Industry-wide collaboration to tackle student perceptions will be a key step forward.
"We know women are hugely successful in the selection process. We just need them to realise it. We need to boost confidence and encourage more female graduates to reach their potential."


The US has flown a B-52 bomber over South Korea in a show of force after North Korea said it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb.

The B-52 swooped over an air base close to the North-South border.
Pyongyang said it detonated an underground device earlier this week to widespread condemnation, but experts remain sceptical about the claim.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the test was an act of self-defence to prevent nuclear war with the US.
"It is the legitimate right of a sovereign state and a fair action that nobody can criticise," he was quoted by North Korean state media as saying.
Following the test, South Korea resumed broadcasting propaganda from speakers mounted on the border and the North countered with similar broadcasts.
The two sides are technically still at war, with the civil conflict that ended in 1953 concluding in a truce rather than a peace treaty.
The US is an ally of the South and said the B-52's flight was a response "to recent provocative action by North Korea".
Lt Gen Terrence O'Shaughnessy said the US was "steadfast" in its commitment to defending South Korea, and that includes "extended deterrence provided by our conventional forces and our nuclear umbrella".
Washington is considering sending an aircraft carrier to the region, Yonhap reported.
There has been no response yet from North Korea to the B-52's flight.
If may take weeks to confirm North Korea's claims to have tested a hydrogen bomb, but several experts said the blast was not large enough to have been from such a device.
The test angered North Korea's main ally China and the UN is working on new measures against Pyongyang, already internationally isolated from previous nuclear tests.


Isabelle Huppert may have an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe for her role in Elle - but she very nearly wasn't in it at all, as the French film was originally intended to be a Hollywood production.

Dutch director Paul Verhoeven, the maker of hits such as Robocop and Total Recall, says that the film was supposed to be in English, but believes that the plot "goes against the grain of American movies".
Based upon best-selling French novel Ohâ€¦ by Philippe Dijan, Huppert plays a rape victim who connects more sympathetically to her attacker than might be expected.
"I was asked to make this as an American movie," Verhoeven recalls. "I went to a US scriptwriter, but nobody in the USA was interested in this project financially or artistically. So it had to go back to Paris.
"I can only think that they said 'no' to the whole idea because it wasn't a straightforward revenge film, where in the second act you find out who the rapist is, and the third act is about the woman's revenge. The identification of the main character with the rapist is so against the grain of what we expect."
Huppert, 63, described by many critics as "the best actress of her generation", or even as "the French Meryl Streep", has won more than 90 awards across her 45-year career, including two prizes for best actress at the Cannes Film Festival, and 15 Cesar Awards.
But Elle marks the first time one of her roles has made a real impact on Hollywood's award season.
Calling the character of Michele Leblanc a "gift", Huppert describes her as "a new character, one that has never before existed in fiction".
Huppert continues: "She's a new type of woman. She is a post-feminist character, building her own behaviour.
"She isn't a victim, but then she doesn't take revenge. She's not some James Bond girl, taking control with a gun. She's the result of a man's failure, and all the male figures in this film are failed, mediocre and weak. So she represents a new era.
"She's a solitary figure, independent and not financially dependent upon anyone. So yes, it was fantastic to bring this woman to life on the screen."
Michele is abrasive and in control, both in her business and personal life, but Huppert says it doesn't bother her whether or not a character is sympathetic.
She adds: "She's the kind of person I enjoy playing because she's morally ambiguous. I won't take a part thinking of whether they're nice or not, I just care whether or not they're true, and I play her as a normal person.
"Elle is actually a comedy in the classic sense of the word. It's not laugh-out-loud funny, but it's a human comedy. And then it's also a thriller, and also a portrait of a woman. It's definitely not one genre, but then life is not one genre, it goes from comedy to drama all in one day."
For all their close collaboration - Huppert is in every scene of the film - she and Verhoeven did not speak once about her character or how she should play Michele.
"I think all questions are indiscreet for a director," she says. "It wouldn't bother me if Paul never said a word to me. I had all this material given to me, and since I am a woman I would know more about the character by definition.
"You could almost say it is a documentary about a woman, and whatever I did was good enough for him."
French films have enjoyed plenty of success at the Academy Awards outside of the foreign language categories. Marion Cotillard received an Oscar for La Vie En Rose in 2008, while silent film The Artist was heavily rewarded a few years later, along with Michael Haneke's exploration of old age, Amour. However, Elle's subject matter - and its treatment - has led to Verhoeven saying he's "amazed" that the Golden Globes rewarded the film, given Hollywood's reputation for caution.
"I didn't realise the Hollywood Foreign Press were so open-minded as to accept it in all its strangeness," he says. "However, I also knew that Isabelle was fantastic and she deserved to win.
"In the movie we originally felt we had to go the American way. We were lucky it failed and it could go to Isabelle, because I don't think any other person in the world could have played this part."
Huppert describes her Oscar nomination as a "miracle" - although La La Land's Emma Stone remains the favourite to scoop the Academy Award. In the meantime, the French actress has six more films in production for the year.
"Challenging movie parts are the scariest but most rewarding," Huppert says. "It just depends on who you work with, and trust and confidence in your director are key. Truth has never scared me in a movie. In life, it's a different matter."
Elle is released in the UK on 10 March. The Academy Awards are held on 26 February.
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Premiership and European Champions Cup holders Saracens have agreed a deal to sign France international Christopher Tolofua next summer.

The 22-year-old hooker will join Sarries from Toulouse at the end of the 2016-17 French Top 14 season.
Tolofua, who has won four caps for France, has agreed a two-year contract at Allianz Park.
"I'm excited to play in England next season and test myself in the Premiership," he said.


Organised criminals are using apps and encrypted messaging to evade them, senior police officers believe.

The issue has been described as the biggest challenge facing police focussed on breaking up organised crime groups.
Police Scotland said they made more than 2,100 arrests in relation to organised crime last year.
They estimate 220 gangs are currently dealing in drugs, firearms, high-value theft, fraud and human trafficking.
Some 122 people arrested in the last 12 months were described by officers as being principal players involved in serious and organised criminal activity.
Police Scotland said it had enjoyed "significant successes" in detecting and disrupting criminal networks.
Senior officers believe most gangs are still profiting from "traditional" crimes but are using online resources to do deals and avoid detection.
Det Ch Supt Gerry McLean, head of the organised crime and counter-terrorism unit, said organised crime is still down to "profit, power and people".
But with fierce debate around the use of the Regulations of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa) to access communications, officers know there is a balance to be struck when tracking people.
Det Ch Supt McLean said: "[Gangs] are taking the additional step or layer of security around their communications because of the success we have had over the last decade or so in communication strategies that show where calls were made and placed.
"They want to take themselves away from conventional itemised telecommunications billing and use apps based on their phone.
"We've got to be alive to the possibility that they will use any kind of means to communicate, what we are seeing more use of is the use of encrypted devices - telephones with software within them that have been about for a number of years."
The officer added: "I think discussions around Ripa and in terms of how law enforcement can secure communications data in the future is something they are alive to and will change their methodology.
"Particularly the type of crime groups we are targeting - that top 20% - the ones that have got perhaps the most to lose are always looking at new methods of communications.
"We're firmly in the camp of trying to catch criminals but we need to give that reassurance to the community and there is a balance to be struck."
A number of high profile cases have concluded this year where the leaders of organised crime groups have been jailed.
Stephen Nisbet, who ran a drug business despite being in jail for murder, was sentenced to 12 years as part of an operation that led to 66 people being arrested, including his brother James Nisbet junior. Stephen was jailed for 12 years, while James was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Scotland's first "cuckoo smurfing" case - a complicated international money laundering scheme - was also concluded with Muhammad Hameed, Saleem Shikari and Shahid Aslam jailed for a total of nine years.
Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said: "There's no place for serious organised crime in Scotland and I'm proud of the efforts of our law enforcement agencies in taking on and taking down these criminals who are exploiting law-abiding communities and businesses.
"Today's latest figures show another successful year of operations in dismantling these criminal operations. As we move into 2016, there will be no let-up in our efforts."


Welsh Muslims are living in "immense fear" of backlashes following the Paris terrorist attacks, according to the assistant secretary general of the Muslim Council of Wales.

Sahar Al Faifi said she "lost count" of incidents of physical abuse she received before the attacks happened.
Islamic State (IS) militants have claimed responsibility for the attacks in Paris with 129 people dead.
The first minister said the level of potential threat "remains high".
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement programme, Ms Al Faifi said IS wanted to create a perception of "us and them", adding: "Welsh Muslims are living in immense fear of backlashes."
Despite two Cardiff men, Reyaad Khan and Nasser Muthana travelling to Syria and appearing in a video urging people to join IS, Ms Faifi said they represent a tiny proportion of Welsh Muslims.
"The Muslim population of Britain is 4.8% or two million people and 700 have joined IS. Are they really representative of the Muslim community and faith?" she added.
"Two boys from Cardiff were not radicalised in mosques but through social media."
Ms Al Faifi also said she "lost count" of the incidents of physical abuse against her before the Paris attacks, saying: "If I reported all of them, I'd be living half of my life in the police station."
Her fears were echoed by former Neath MP and cabinet minister Peter Hain, who said: "We have to make sure we do not allow any Islam phobic targeting of Muslims in any part of Wales where Muslims form an important and valued part of the community."
As a show of solidarity, public buildings around Wales are being illuminated by the colours of the tricolour this weekend.
They include:
Speaking on the same programme, First Minister Carwyn Jones called on people in Wales to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.
He said security in the country has been the same for the past few months and the level of potential threat to Wales remained high and had not increased following the Paris attacks.
With one of the incidents taking place near Paris' Stade de France as a football match took place, he said people in Wales should be "aware of the implications of hosting big events" like the recent Rugby World Cup matches that took place in Cardiff.
"In the past, these terrorists have wanted to attack big cities, to kill the most people and get the most publicity, but the threat is not only in big cities."
Despite the attacks, he said Welsh football fans should not be concerned about travelling to France for next summer's European Championships, adding: "It will go ahead. It would be a great victory for them (the terrorists) if it doesn't.
The panic, fear and paranoia felt in Paris during the attacks was described by the manager of Merthyr Tydfil band Pretty Vicious.
They were playing in front of 300 people in the city and completed their 45-minute set, despite half the audience leaving when news started filtering through that two people had been shot.
Bryn Phillips said information was confused and they were unaware of the full extent of what was happening.
He accompanied the four band members, aged between 16 and 18, to their hotel 300 yards away from the venue, saying: "Before the gig, there were parties and a carnival atmosphere, but after, there was about a tenth of the people on the streets and it was a totally different feeling, a bit nerve wracking.
"There were sirens going off everywhere and paranoia creeps in, I was worried about people on the streets having guns."
The hotel was "locked down" with them safely inside and despite announcements that France's borders had been closed, they were able to drive through the Channel Tunnel back to the UK on Saturday morning.
After returning briefly to Merthyr Tydfil, they then travelled to Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Monmouthshire, where they are currently recording.
"It seems surreal now watching it on television," added Mr Phillips
"It is difficult to imagine we were there. It's terrible news but we are glad to be back,"


Championship strugglers Wigan Athletic have parted company with boss Warren Joyce after only four months.

The Latics lost 1-0 at home to fellow relegation candidates Bristol City on Saturday to leave them four points from safety with nine games remaining.
Former Manchester United Under-21 manager Joyce, 52, took over in November after Gary Caldwell's sacking but only won six of 24 games in charge.
Assistant manager Graham Barrow will take charge for the rest of the season.
"It is unfortunate that we have made this decision but with the team in such a perilous position in the league, we need to act now because we cannot afford to fall any further behind," said chairman David Sharpe.
"Results and performances have simply not been up to standard often enough in recent matches.
"Although we acknowledge the difficulties faced in managing a team in a league where we are competing against clubs with much larger budgets, the nature of some of our recent defeats, especially against close rivals, has fallen short in terms of what we as a club, and all our supporters, expect."
Former Bolton, Preston, Plymouth, Burnley and Hull City midfielder Joyce signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Wigan, but has left along with first team coach Andy Welsh.
After winning the League One title last season, the Latics have struggled in the second tier, and are the lowest scorers, having failed to find the net in 10 of their last 14 home matches.
Barrow, 62, is a former Wigan midfielder and manager who returned to the club in 2009 to work as a coach under Roberto Martinez.


US diplomat Ryan Fogle, who was accused by Russia of being a spy, has left the country, Russian television reported.

NTV broadcast footage said to show Mr Fogle passing through security at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow.
Mr Fogle was ordered to leave Russia five days ago after being accused of trying to recruit a Russian intelligence officer as a spy.
The purported CIA agent was arrested while wearing a blond wig and was briefly detained.
Mr Fogle is said to have been a third secretary at the US embassy in Moscow.
He was declared "persona non grata" for what the Russian foreign ministry called "provocative actions in the spirit of the Cold War".
The US State Department confirmed that Mr Fogle worked at the embassy but would give no details about his job. The CIA has declined to comment.
Russian officials said Mr Fogle had been caught trying to recruit an FSB counter-terrorism agent in the Caucasus.
After his arrest he was widely shown on Russian TV wearing a blond wig.
The Kommersant newspaper said he had been investigating suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing attacks, who came from the Caucasus.
Following the decision to expel Mr Fogle, Russia then named the alleged US intelligence chief in Moscow in a move seen as breaching diplomatic protocol.
Russia said it had warned the CIA Moscow station chief in 2011 to stop the "provocative" recruitment of spies.


Nine more people have died of their injuries following last week's fire at a Romanian nightclub, bringing the number of deaths to 41, officials say.

Seven people died in hospitals in the capital Bucharest, while another two passed away in the Netherlands, where they had been treated.
The blaze at Bucharest's Colectiv club on 30 October was started by fireworks.
It led to mass protests and the resignation of the government led by Prime Minister Victor Ponta.
Read more: Protesters prompt Ponta's fall
Three owners of the club have been arrested amid allegations that the venue was overcrowded, lacked the required number of emergency exits, and may not have been authorised to hold such a concert.
More than 100 people are still being treated, with dozens still in critical condition.
Concerns that safety at the club was compromised because of corruption - a long-standing issue in Romania - have further fuelled public anger against the political elite.
Thousands of protesters held a rally in Bucharest late on Friday - for the fourth consecutive day.
President Klaus Iohannis has called for a "sea change" in Romanian politics in the wake of the government resignation.


A schizophrenic man repeatedly stabbed a train passenger in an unprovoked attack after yelling "I want to kill all the Muslims", a court has heard.

Adrian Brown, 38, was said to have been experiencing a "severe psychotic episode" when he stabbed Muhammed Ali on a London Overground train last year.
Southwark Crown Court heard other passengers saved Mr Ali's life.
Mr Brown agrees he carried out the attack, but denies attempted murder on the grounds of insanity.
Prosecutor Alan Kent QC said Brown, of Brockley Rise in south-east London, left the hostel he was staying in on 12 December armed with a knife and headed to Honor Oak Park.
He added Brown was determined to find and kill Muslim men.
"He walked up and down the train threatening passengers, threatening death to Muslims while looking for any Muslim men to stab and kill.
"He saw the victim, Mr Muhammed Ali, who was sitting on the train with his wife. The defendant approached Mr Ali, who was sitting down, and repeatedly stabbed him to his head and his body."
Mr Ali suffered injuries to his head and torso as well as a punctured lung.
Mr Brown is also accused of carrying a knife and assaulting Filipe Dias, who worked at the hostel, during an earlier incident, both of which are denied on the grounds of insanity.
The court heard Mr Brown had become agitated over a lack of hot water and set upon Ms Dias, who had previously confiscated knives from him.
Mr Kent told jurors that after attacking Ms Dias, he left saying "I'm going to kill some Muslims".
Jurors at the trial of issue must decide if Brown was insane at the time of the attack.
The court has heard that two psychiatrists have determined he was.
The trial continues.


Gonzalo Higuain scored twice as Juventus beat Chievo to move closer to a sixth consecutive Serie A title.

He converted Paulo Dybala's cut-back from 12 yards out to open the scoring after good wing play by his Argentina team-mate.
And he added a second, his 27th goal of the season, after the break from Stephan Lichtsteiner's cross, with Dybala involved in the build-up.
Juve are nine points above Roma, who visit Bologna on Sunday.
They have won 32 home games in a row in Serie A, a run going back to September 2015.
Match ends, Juventus 2, Chievo 0.
Second Half ends, Juventus 2, Chievo 0.
Attempt saved. Sami Khedira (Juventus) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Gonzalo Higuaín.
Attempt missed. Sergio Pellissier (Chievo) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Jonathan de Guzmán with a cross.
Attempt missed. Valter Birsa (Chievo) left footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high from a direct free kick.
Foul by Andrea Barzagli (Juventus).
Sergio Pellissier (Chievo) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Gonzalo Higuaín (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Valter Birsa (Chievo).
Substitution, Juventus. Dani Alves replaces Stephan Lichtsteiner.
Goal!  Juventus 2, Chievo 0. Gonzalo Higuaín (Juventus) right footed shot from the left side of the six yard box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Stephan Lichtsteiner.
Attempt saved. Valter Birsa (Chievo) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus) is shown the yellow card.
Attempt missed. Fabrizio Cacciatore (Chievo) header from the left side of the six yard box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Mariano Izco with a cross following a set piece situation.
Foul by Sami Khedira (Juventus).
Valter Birsa (Chievo) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Andrea Barzagli (Juventus).
Roberto Inglese (Chievo) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Gonzalo Higuaín (Juventus) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Paulo Dybala.
Substitution, Chievo. Jonathan de Guzmán replaces Perparim Hetemaj.
Attempt missed. Paulo Dybala (Juventus) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Sami Khedira.
Attempt missed. Roberto Inglese (Chievo) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Valter Birsa with a cross.
Substitution, Juventus. Leonardo Bonucci replaces Stefano Sturaro.
Foul by Mario Lemina (Juventus).
Perparim Hetemaj (Chievo) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Daniele Rugani (Juventus).
Roberto Inglese (Chievo) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Stefano Sturaro (Juventus) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Gonzalo Higuaín.
Hand ball by Roberto Inglese (Chievo).
Sami Khedira (Juventus) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Valter Birsa (Chievo).
Attempt blocked. Mariano Izco (Chievo) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Roberto Inglese.
Substitution, Chievo. Roberto Inglese replaces Riccardo Meggiorini.
Substitution, Juventus. Mario Lemina replaces Juan Cuadrado.
Offside, Juventus. Paulo Dybala tries a through ball, but Stephan Lichtsteiner is caught offside.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Riccardo Meggiorini (Chievo) because of an injury.
Corner,  Juventus. Conceded by Mariano Izco.
Attempt missed. Gonzalo Higuaín (Juventus) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
Offside, Juventus. Alex Sandro tries a through ball, but Paulo Dybala is caught offside.


Academics want their research into online sexual abuse published so parents can spot if their child is being groomed.

The Swansea University team said a study of 200 online groomers' chat logs delivered unexpected conclusions.
Prof Nuria Lorenzo-Dus will publish her findings soon and wants funding to turn the research into public information.
In the past five years, 155 people in Wales have been reported to police for meeting a child following grooming.
Prof Lorenzo-Dus, who specialises in English language and applied linguistics, said groomers did not lie about their age and could operate very quickly.
In one case, she said it took less than 20 minutes to persuade a child to meet in real life.
"These online groomers are highly skilled, persuasive communicators," she said.
"They're using a very sophisticated toolkit in order to persuade their victims that they need to engage in a sexual relationship with a groomer."
Prof Lorenzo-Dus said the clues for parents were there if they knew what to look for; groomers often gained trust by paying their victims a compliment which was not necessarily of a sexual nature.
"They may be complimenting their victims on their maturity, on how well they play a particular game, for example an online game, or other aspects which do not seek or target or address sexual topics."
She also said groomers would try and isolate the victim from people close to them, such as parents and friends, in order to make their relationship special and unique.
Just before Christmas, the NSPCC reported Childline was contacted by 85 children in Wales about online sexual abuse in the previous 12 months - contributing to a 24% rise in UK calls on the previous year.
South Wales Police Ass Ch Con Jonathan Drake said 12 warrants were executed against suspected offenders in the past month.
"Day in, day out teams across Wales are doing search warrants at offenders' addresses, seizing computers, immediately analysing technology and other things they find there," he added.


Angela Merkel's ruling CDU party has been beaten into third place by an anti-immigrant and anti-Islam party in elections in a north-eastern German state.

The Alternative fuer Deutschland (AfD) party took just under 21% of the vote behind the centre-left SPD's 30%.
The German chancellor's CDU was backed by only 19% of voters, its worst ever result in the state.
The vote was seen as a key test before German parliamentary elections in 2017.
Before the vote in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, in the former East Germany, all of Germany's other parties ruled out forming a governing coalition with the AfD. But the party, formed only three years ago, is already represented in nine of Germany's 16 state parliaments.
'Rapefugee' message in Rostock as AfD challenges Merkel
Germany jolted by AfD success
Is Merkel really on the ropes?
Profile: AfD leader Frauke Petry
One leading CDU politician called the result catastrophic, while another, Wolfgang Bosbach, said the arrival of hundreds of thousands of migrants without documents had "put the wind in the AfD's sails".
This is humiliating for Angela Merkel - not least because this was on home turf. Mrs Merkel's constituency is in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania.
This election - which was seen as a significant test ahead of next year's general election - was all about her refugee policy. For a year she's insisted 'Wir schaffen es' (we can do it) but German voters aren't convinced.
Alternative fuer Deutschland's anti immigrant and increasingly strident anti-Islam message has a powerful appeal to people concerned about integration and worried about domestic security.
It doesn't look good for Mrs Merkel. Her approval ratings are at a five-year low. But don't be tempted to write her off just yet - she has a habit of bouncing back and there is no serious contender waiting in the wings to replace her.
Under her leadership, Germany has been taking in large numbers of refugees and migrants - 1.1 million last year - and anti-immigrant feeling has increased.
The AfD, initially an anti-euro party, has enjoyed a rapid rise as the party of choice for voters dismayed by Mrs Merkel's policy.
But its political power is limited and critics accuse it of engaging in xenophobic scaremongering.
The CDU has been the junior coalition partner in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania since 2006 and is likely to remain in the governing coalition. However, its 19% in the election is its worst ever result in the state, German broadcasters said.
"The strong performance of AfD is bitter for many, for everyone in our party," said CDU secretary general Peter Tauber. "A sizeable number of people wanted to voice their displeasure and to protest. And we saw that particularly in discussions about refugees."
BBC Berlin correspondent Damien McGuinness says that following her political embarrassment, Mrs Merkel will now come under greater pressure to change her welcoming position on refugees.
Addressing supporters, local AfD leader Leif-Erik Holm said: "Perhaps this is the beginning of the end of Angela Merkel's chancellorship today."
Mrs Merkel, who is in China for the G20 summit, told Bild newspaper on Saturday: "We did not reduce benefits for anyone in Germany as a result of the aid for refugees. In fact, we actually saw social improvements in some areas.
"We took nothing away from people here. We are still achieving our big goal of maintaining and improving the quality of life in Germany."
"How many more electoral disasters can Merkel take?" wonders tabloid Bild, and predicts that temporarily pacified opposition to Mrs Merkel's line inside her conservative bloc could erupt with full force.
In fact, a senior member of the powerful Bavarian sister party of Ms Merkel's Christian Democrats, Markus Soeder, has already called for a "change of course" in remarks to Bild.
An article in Sueddeutsche Zeitung predicts an "autumn of discontent" for the chancellor, while Die Welt thinks many of her long-standing critics will now "break cover" and "let rip".
But a commentary in news magazine Der Spiegel believes that while the election is a "debacle" for Ms Merkel, her job is not on the line quite yet.
Some also think it's not all just about Mrs Merkel. A commentary in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung argues that voters are angry at "(almost) all" mainstream parties, and not just the Christian Democrats, mainly over globalisation and "compromise-based politics".


Bayern Munich and Juventus maintained their relentless pursuit of domestic titles in Europe this weekend.

Barcelona suffered a second successive league defeat to offer some hope to their Spanish rivals and Paris St-Germain, already crowned as French champions, won again in Ligue 1.
And striker Mario Balotelli was criticised again for his performances at AC Milan, where he is on loan from Liverpool.
But what else happened around Europe? BBC Sport rounds up the stories you may have missed.
Real Madrid's dressing-room celebration picture following last weekend's El Clasico win against Barcelona is still causing amusement for some and anger for others.
Dutch second-tier side Almere City saw the funny side and tweeted their own tongue-in-cheek version of the Real picture, which featured Cristiano Ronaldo, sans shirt, showing off his physique.
Almere's version included reserve goalkeeper Roy Pistoor in the role of Ronaldo, showing he has some way to go to match 'CR7's' six-pack.
But former Germany international Oliver Kahn, who has never been shy of criticising Real, was less amused.
"Lately, I've been seeing more of Cristiano Ronaldo's six-pack than my own wife's breasts," he complained bizarrely to German public broadcaster ZDF.
As if life as a Newcastle fan was not depressing enough this season, one St James' Park old boy seems determined to rub salt into their wounds.
Hatem Ben Arfa gave the Toon faithful another glimpse of his talents on Sunday with a superb hat-trick for Nice against Rennes to continue his fine form since leaving Tyneside.
After falling out of favour at Newcastle and spending time on loan at Hull, Ben Arfa was released last January.
He has since rebuilt his career back in his native France and his 16 goals this season make him second top scorer in Ligue 1, behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
After just one season in charge of Fiorentina, former QPR, Leicester and Swansea manager Paulo Sousa is struggling to shake off rumours that he could be on the move again.
Following links with AC Milan, and stories that he was unhappy with a lack of transfer activity in Tuscany, the Portuguese has been forced to answer claims he met representatives of Russian club Zenit St Petersburg.
"I cannot justify myself every time I go out for dinner," said Sousa.
"I have a contract and I am the coach of Fiorentina. We have seven games and 21 points at our disposal, so I am concentrated only on that.
"Could I open a new era with Fiorentina? A coach doesn't just train the players, he needs to have a complete 360 degree vision, and so far this is what I have done."
Julian Nagelsmann might be one of Europe's youngest top-flight coaches, but the 28-year-old has wasted no time building a big reputation since taking over at struggling Hoffenheim.
After being lined up to take charge next season, Nagelsmann was promoted ahead of schedule in February. The job came his way as Huub Stevens was forced to step down because of heart problems after just four months at the helm.
Nagelsmann has since won five and lost just two of his nine games in charge, to take a side who were joint bottom at the start of his reign to 14th place, four points clear of the automatic relegation spots.
He enhanced his reputation further on Saturday when Nadiem Amiri and Mark Uth - two substitutes he introduced during the game - scored in a 2-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt.
In his first home game since succeeding Gary Neville as Valencia manager, Pako Ayesteran is up and running after claiming victory against Sevilla.
Alvaro Negredo struck in stoppage-time against his former club to give Valencia a 2-1 La Liga win.
Daniel Parejo's deflected free-kick in the 41st minute opened the scoring for Valencia, who had not won in La Liga since 2 March, but Kevin Gameiro equalised in the 86th.
Negredo restored the home side's advantage a minute into stoppage time as Valencia moved up to 13th in La Liga, nine points clear of the relegation zone,
Neville was sacked on 30 March after less than four months in charge.


A 21-year-old man has been charged with murdering a father of two at a betting shop in south London.

Andrew Iacovou, 55, was found dead at a branch of Ladbrokes in Aberconway Road, Morden, where he worked, at 10:30 BST on Saturday 25 May.
A post-mortem examination showed he died from blunt trauma to the head.
Shafique Ahmad Aarij has been charged with murder and will appear before Camberwell Green Magistrates' Court on Saturday.


Kayden Jackson scored on his debut as Accrington started the season by beating Colchester.

Jackson opened the scoring on nine minutes when he raced onto a through ball from Liam Nolan and finished low into the bottom of the net past Sam Walker.
The Reds doubled their lead on 32 minutes after Colchester failed to clear their lines from a Sean McConville cross and the ball came out to Billy Kee, who rifled home.
Colchester had their chances with Ryan Jackson forcing an early save out of Aaron Chapman, Craig Slater scuffing a shot and Denny Johnstone's close-range strike blocked before half-time.
United boss John McGreal had used all three substitutions by the start of the second half and one of them, Sammie Szmodics, fired narrowly wide just after the restart.
However, it was three on 65 minutes when, from a McConville corner, Nolan headed on and defender Omar Beckles poked home at the far post.
Szmodics got a consolation for Colchester on 82 minutes, rifling the ball home at the far post from a deflected cross.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Accrington Stanley 3, Colchester United 1.
Second Half ends, Accrington Stanley 3, Colchester United 1.
Foul by Liam Nolan (Accrington Stanley).
Cole Kpekawa (Colchester United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Jonathan Edwards (Accrington Stanley) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Corner,  Accrington Stanley. Conceded by Ryan Jackson.
Billy Kee (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Tom Lapslie (Colchester United).
Attempt missed. Lewis Kinsella (Colchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
Corner,  Colchester United. Conceded by Sean McConville.
Goal!  Accrington Stanley 3, Colchester United 1. Sammie Szmodics (Colchester United) left footed shot from the left side of the six yard box to the bottom left corner.
Attempt blocked. Mikael Mandron (Colchester United) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.
Substitution, Accrington Stanley. Jonathan Edwards replaces Kayden Jackson.
Corner,  Colchester United. Conceded by Ben Richards-Everton.
Attempt missed. Mikael Mandron (Colchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
Corner,  Accrington Stanley. Conceded by Mikael Mandron.
Jordan Clark (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Lewis Kinsella (Colchester United).
Attempt missed. Omar Beckles (Accrington Stanley) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high.
Billy Kee (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Tom Lapslie (Colchester United).
Corner,  Colchester United. Conceded by Seamus Conneely.
Substitution, Accrington Stanley. Tyler Hornby-Forbes replaces Janoi Donacien.
Corner,  Colchester United. Conceded by Janoi Donacien.
Foul by Omar Beckles (Accrington Stanley).
Ryan Jackson (Colchester United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Ryan Jackson (Colchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Sean McConville (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Ryan Jackson (Colchester United).
Goal!  Accrington Stanley 3, Colchester United 0. Omar Beckles (Accrington Stanley) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Liam Nolan.
Corner,  Accrington Stanley. Conceded by Ryan Jackson.
Attempt blocked. Mark Hughes (Accrington Stanley) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Janoi Donacien (Accrington Stanley).
Sammie Szmodics (Colchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Billy Kee (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Mikael Mandron (Colchester United).
Mark Hughes (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Mikael Mandron (Colchester United).
Corner,  Accrington Stanley. Conceded by Tom Lapslie.
Attempt blocked. Jordan Clark (Accrington Stanley) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.


Iraqi security forces have ended a hostage crisis at a government building in Baghdad, but there are conflicting reports about the number of casualties.

Officials said the six men who had stormed the transport ministry facility and taken several hostages were killed.
Two policemen who had been guarding the building also died, they added. But one security source put the toll at 18.
No group has claimed responsibility, though Sunni militants linked to al-Qaeda have mounted similar attacks.
Violence has surged across Iraq in the past year, reaching levels not seen since the height of the sectarian insurgency in 2007.
The United Nations says 7,818 civilians and 1,050 members of the security forces died in 2013. More than 900 people are reported to have been killed since the start of the year.
The brazen assault on the transport ministry facility in the capital's north-east began just after midday.
Officials told the AFP news agency that the attackers had all been wearing explosive vests and had initially tried to detonate a car bomb at the entrance to the building.
When it did not explode, one of the men blew himself up to clear the way for the others, the officials added. A second man then detonated his suicide vest at an inner gate.
The four remaining militants then held a number of people hostage for several hours before they were killed by security forces, interior ministry spokesman Gen Saad Maan told the BBC.
One of the police guards who died had been at an entrance and the other had been in charge of monitoring security cameras, he said.
A senior security source told the Reuters news agency that the militants killed at least 18 people including themselves and four hostages. It is not clear who the others were.
During the operation security forces sealed off the surrounding area, which is also home to the transport ministry's headquarters and a human rights ministry building.
Also on Thursday, at least four people were killed by a car bomb in the northern Kasra district of Baghdad, according to the Associated Press. Nine people were killed in bombings in the capital on Wednesday night.
The violence comes amid a month-long stand-off between the security forces and Sunni militants linked to al-Qaeda who have seized control of two cities in the western province of Anbar.


Two people of Syrian origin have been arrested in Geneva on suspicion of making, concealing and transporting explosives, the Swiss attorney general says.

The two are also suspected of violating a law prohibiting groups such as al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State (IS), the statement added.
Geneva's prosecutor said traces of explosive had been found in their car.
Geneva has been on high alert this week amid fears an IS cell was in the area.
Swiss President Simonetta Sommaruga said on Friday that a "foreign authority" had provided the information about "a potential IS cell in the Geneva area" but there was no indication that "a concrete attack" was planned.
Geneva's Prosecutor Olivier Jornot told a news conference on Saturday that the two Syrians had just arrived in the Swiss city and could not speak French.
He said although traces of explosives were found in their car during their arrest on Friday, there was no evidence of toxic gas.
An earlier statement from the prosecutor's office said criminal proceedings and been opened against them under Switzerland's law against the manufacture and transport of explosives and toxic gases.
The tip-off about a terror cell in Geneva had originally come from the United States, Swiss media reported on Friday.
Daily newspaper Le Temps, quoting a source close to the investigation, said US intelligence had identified three jihadist cells in Chicago, Toronto and Geneva.
On Thursday, security was stepped up outside synagogues, the UN building and the French ambassador's home, as well as train stations, the airport and similar places.
The number of police on Geneva's streets has been increased.
UN spokesman Michele Zaccheo said there was "no specific threat to the UN in Geneva or its personnel".
The border with France runs through the outskirts of Geneva.
IS said it carried out the attacks in Paris on 13 November which killed 130 people.
Two men linked to the attacks - Salah Abdeslam and Mohammed Abrini - are still on the run and investigations have been launched in several European countries.


UK food manufacturer Premier Foods says it has rejected a bid approach from US spices and herbs maker McCormick.

Premier said it had turned down the unsolicited 52p-a-share offer on the grounds that it "substantially undervalued the company and its prospects".
Premier owns many UK household brands including Mr Kipling, Homepride, Oxo and Bisto.
McCormick describes its products as "saving your world from boring food".
Premier's chairman, David Beever, said: "McCormick's proposal represents an attempt to capture the upside value embedded in Premier's business that rightfully belongs to Premier's shareholders.
"The proposal fails to recognise the value of Premier's performance to date and prospects for the future, including the strategic plans we have to accelerate growth."
At the same time, Premier announced that it was entering into a co-operation agreement with Japanese instant noodle firm Nissin.
Under the deal, Premier will be able to distribute Nissin's products in the UK, while making its own products more widely available in key overseas markets.


Thieves who targeted a jewellery shop in an early-hours raid escaped with £650,000 of items, police have said.

"Extensive damage" was caused in and around Fraser Hart in the Silbury Arcade, Milton Keynes during the break-in at about 03:30 GMT on Saturday.
The burglars tried to cover their escape by starting a fire nearby and padlocking a chain across the road to prevent a police pursuit.
Det Ch Insp Kelly Glister said it was fortunate that nobody was hurt.


Watford have signed defender Allan Nyom from Udinese on a four-year contract.

The 27-year-old Cameroon right-back never played for the Italian side in six years, spending the entire time on loan with Spanish club Granada.
Thirteen members of Watford's current squad have played for Granada, Udinese or both - with all three sides owned by Giampaolo Pozzo.
Nyom was part of the Cameroon squad at last summer's World Cup finals, playing in the 4-1 defeat by hosts Brazil.
He is Watford's seventh signing of the summer after they were promoted to the Premier League in May.
Nyom was still in contract at Udinese with no details of a transfer fee being revealed.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.
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BBC Sport will bring you live coverage of the UK Championship, Masters and 2016 World Championship across BBC TV and online.


Leicester and Tottenham have provided eight players between them for the Professional Footballers' Association Premier League Team of the Year.

Jamie Vardy is one of a quartet of players from league leaders Leicester, while Premier League top scorer Harry Kane is one of four men from Spurs.
Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil, a PFA Player of the Year nominee, misses out.
Women's Super League 1 champions Chelsea have three players in the WSL 1 Team of the Year.
The PFA had planned to reveal the team at its annual awards ceremony on Sunday but said it was forced to publish early because the details were leaked.
It blamed a member of the public for choosing "to deliberately leak our representative teams from the official brochure of the awards evening".
The players' representative body added: "As a matter of urgency, we are seeking a detailed explanation from the brochure printers as to how they were able to secure a copy of the publication."
Kane has scored 24 league goals this season for Tottenham, who are five points behind Leicester with four games remaining.
As well as Vardy, Wes Morgan, N'Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez are included from Leicester while Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose and Dele Alli join Kane from Tottenham.
Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, Arsenal full-back Hector Bellerin and West Ham's Dimitri Payet make up the rest of the team.
The PFA awards evening takes place on Sunday 24 April, when the PFA Player of the Year will be announced. Vardy, Kane, Mahrez, Kane, Ozil and Payet are on the shortlist for that award.
Chelsea's three players in the WSL 1 Team of the Year are goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl, defender Niamh Fahey and winger Ji So-yun.
Runners-up Manchester City also have three members of their squad in the team with defender Lucy Bronze and midfield duo Jill Scott and Isobel Christiansen included.
Full team: Hedvig Lindahl (Chelsea); Lucy Bronze (Man City), Casey Stoney (Arsenal), Niamh Fahey (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Notts County, now Liverpool); Ji So-yun (Chelsea), Vicky Losada (Arsenal), Jill Scott (Man City), Isobel Christiansen (Chelsea); Beth Mead (Sunderland), Danielle Carter (Arsenal).
Burnley, battling for promotion to the Premier League, have four players in the Championship Team of the Year.
Goalkeeper Tom Heaton, defender Michael Keane, midfielder Joey Barton and striker Andre Gray represent the team that is currently second in the league.
Leaders Middlesbrough have two-and-a-half players included, with defender Daniel Ayala sharing his position with Hull's Michael Dawson.
Full team: Tom Heaton (Burnley); Bruno Saltor (Brighton), Daniel Ayala/Michael Dawson (Middlesbrough/Hull), Michael Keane (Burnley), George Friend (Middlesbrough); Adam Clayton (Middlesbrough), Alan Judge (Brentford), Joey Barton (Burnley), Barry Bannan (Sheff Wed); Andre Gray (Burnley), Ross McCormack (Fulham).
League One leaders Wigan have four players in the League One Team of the Year, with Reece Wabara, Craig Morgan, Yanic Wildschut and Will Grigg included.
Full team: Jon McLaughlin (Bradford); Reece Wabara (Wigan), John Egan (Gillingham), Craig Morgan (Wigan), Rico Henry (Walsall); Yanic Wildschut (Wigan), Bradley Dack (Gillingham), Romaine Sawyers (Walsall), Mark Duffy (Burton); Will Grigg (Wigan), Adam Armstrong (Coventry).
League One champions Northampton have three inclusions in the division's Team of the Year.
Full team: Adam Smith (Northampton); George Baldock (Oxford), Curtis Nelson (Plymouth), Aaron Pierre (Wycombe), Joe Jacobson (Wycombe); Ricky Holmes (Northampton), John-Joe O'Toole (Northampton), Matt Crooks (Accrington), Kemar Roofe (Oxford); Jay Simpson (Leyton Orient), Matty Taylor (Bristol Rovers).


Charlton are still looking for their first win of the new League One season after they drew 1-1 with Northampton at the Valley.

Addicks skipper Johnnie Jackson's 57th-minute strike cancelled out Alex Revell's first-half header.
The Northampton hitman, who played for Charlton boss Russell Slade at Leyton Orient and Cardiff, scored after 16 minutes with a headed goal which saw the home side booed off at the break.
Alfie Potter picked out Revell with a looping cross and the forward steered his header across goal and found the back of the net.
Rob Page's men could have doubled their lead after half an hour but Harry Beautyman's header drifted just wide of the post.
Charlton came out firing in the second-half with Andrew Crofts and Nicky Ajose both unlucky not to equalise.
The Addicks' relentless pressure paid off when Ajose played in Jackson who coolly slotted home.
The result leaves Slade without a win as Charlton manager, while Northampton extended their unbeaten league run to 26 games.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Charlton Athletic 1, Northampton Town 1.
Second Half ends, Charlton Athletic 1, Northampton Town 1.
Corner,  Charlton Athletic. Conceded by Adam Smith.
Attempt saved. Ademola Lookman (Charlton Athletic) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Ademola Lookman (Charlton Athletic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Matthew Taylor (Northampton Town).
Corner,  Charlton Athletic. Conceded by Aaron Phillips.
Corner,  Northampton Town. Conceded by Ezri Konsa Ngoyo.
Attempt blocked. Alfie Potter (Northampton Town) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Attempt saved. Ademola Lookman (Charlton Athletic) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top right corner.
Attempt missed. Sam Hoskins (Northampton Town) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high.
Foul by Jordan Botaka (Charlton Athletic).
John-Joe O'Toole (Northampton Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt saved. Matthew Taylor (Northampton Town) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Attempt saved. Nicky Ajose (Charlton Athletic) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Substitution, Charlton Athletic. Lee Novak replaces Josh Magennis.
Ademola Lookman (Charlton Athletic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by John-Joe O'Toole (Northampton Town).
Foul by Ademola Lookman (Charlton Athletic).
Zander Diamond (Northampton Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Morgan Fox (Charlton Athletic).
Aaron Phillips (Northampton Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner,  Northampton Town. Conceded by Andrew Crofts.
Foul by Jason Pearce (Charlton Athletic).
John-Joe O'Toole (Northampton Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Corner,  Charlton Athletic. Conceded by Matthew Taylor.
Attempt blocked. Jordan Botaka (Charlton Athletic) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Attempt missed. Josh Magennis (Charlton Athletic) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Substitution, Northampton Town. Marc Richards replaces Kenji Gorré.
Substitution, Charlton Athletic. Jordan Botaka replaces Ricky Holmes.
Corner,  Charlton Athletic. Conceded by Gabriel Zakuani.
Attempt missed. Josh Magennis (Charlton Athletic) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Attempt blocked. Ademola Lookman (Charlton Athletic) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Ademola Lookman (Charlton Athletic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by John-Joe O'Toole (Northampton Town).
Substitution, Charlton Athletic. Ademola Lookman replaces Kevin Foley.
Ricky Holmes (Charlton Athletic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by David Buchanan (Northampton Town).
Attempt saved. Matthew Taylor (Northampton Town) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Goal!  Charlton Athletic 1, Northampton Town 1. Johnnie Jackson (Charlton Athletic) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Nicky Ajose.


As he climbed on an elevated stage in central Athens to give his victory speech on Sunday night, Alexis Tsipras looked more like a rock star than Greece's newly-elected prime minister.

"Our people too have a right to joy and celebration. For five years, they had taken both away from us," he told thousands of ecstatic supporters gathered to celebrate a historic victory for the left.
The magnitude of the challenges Mr Tsipras and his Syriza party face are daunting, however, and sustaining this enthusiasm inside Greece may prove even more difficult than convincing Europe to end austerity and forgive part of the nation's debt.
Exit poll analysis showed that Syriza not only triumphed among unemployed and working Greeks, but even penetrated the core of conservative voters, with one-in-three housewives and pensioners turning to the party.
Syriza officials insist Alexis Tsipras is no Harry Potter-like magician and that the Greek people are realistic about what he can achieve.
And indeed, people in Athens say they do not expect Syriza to fulfil all their promises completely and immediately, as long as they carry out the policies that are most relevant to them.
The unemployed may not care too much about a hated property tax known as "Enfia", which Syriza has pledged to abolish, but they are expecting to find a job or, in the very least, have their benefits increased.
Talk to the propertied classes in Athens's leafy, rich, northern suburbs who voted for Syriza, and they will tell you that the promise of the abolition of the tax was one of the main reasons they voted for the left for the first time in their lives.
And all Greeks are expecting Syriza to deliver on their promise and demand debt-cancellation and growth policies from the EU.
Fulfilling those promises will take nothing short of Harry Potter-like powers, some analysts warn.
Mr Tsipras, the youngest political leader in modern Greek history, was instrumental in transforming Syriza from an also-ran to a potential ruling party.
His background is starkly different to that of his predecessors, all of them members of political dynasties.
Alexis Tsipras was not schooled at the usual private schools that most politicians in Greece with a pedigree prefer, but graduated from a state school in Ampelokipoi, a middle-class area in central Athens.
It was at school that he met Peristera "Betty" Baziana, who was to become his wife. They were both active in the  Communist Party of Greece's youth wing and shared the same world view.
Although they went to university in different cities, their relationship flourished. They chose a civil wedding instead of a traditional religious ceremony.
The couple now live in the middle-class Athens neighbourhood of Kypseli, and have two sons - Pavlos, 7, and 5-year-old Orpheas Ernesto (after Ernesto "Che" Guevara). Ms Baziana has rarely appeared in public and the couple have a very low-key social life, avoiding the paparazzi.
Mr Tsipras cut his professional teeth while working as a civil engineer and was one of the "700-euro generation", a term coined in 2007 to describe young people who struggled to advance beyond the average Greek salary.
In 2008, his political career took a significant step forward when he took on the leadership of Syriza, founded in 2004 as a coalition of groups and parties ranging from Maoists to Greens.
He was elected to parliament the following year and by 2011 had transformed the party from a marginal alliance into a major political force.
Known for his rhetorical skills, his dislike of neckties and his youthful looks, Mr Tsipras's colleagues see him as quite unlike any of Greece's traditional political grandees.
"He is just different. He is just like you and me," a member of Mr Tsipras's entourage at Syriza's headquarters told the BBC.
Syriza prepares for power under Tsipras
Profile: Alexis Tsipras
"The economic crisis and the collapse of traditional parties certainly helped Syriza grow its influence, but it was Alexis Tsipras who catapulted the party," says Christoforos Vernardakis, professor of political science at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and founder of the public opinion survey company VPRC.
"This happened because Tsipras is young and knows no fear. He took a defensive left and turned it into a credible choice for government."
Some of his first actions as Greek leader appear designed to show he aims to maintain a careful balance.
He was Greece's first prime minister to take a civil rather than a religious oath, and yet his first visit after he was elected was to the head of the Church of Greece.
Although he told the German government he was not looking for a fight, his first act after being sworn in was to pay his respects to a monument honouring the communists executed by Nazi occupation forces in 1944.
He has also shown an unemotional pragmatism that may alienate ideological purists in his party but will prove valuable in his dealings with creditors.
Lacking an absolute majority in parliament, he chose to form a coalition with a right-wing populist party, the Independent Greeks.
Some Syriza voters and party members are already disillusioned by the choice. But others see it as proof of the coming of age of both Syriza and Mr Tsipras.
His choice of finance minister is also telling.
Economics professor Yanis Varoufakis has been arguing for years in his classes and opinion pieces about the non-viability of austerity and the unsustainability of Greece's debt burden.
But he believes he can win the argument by reasoning with creditors.
In an interview shortly before the election, he told the BBC that far from being destructive, Syriza's political proposals offered a reasonable way out of austerity and a chance to replace existing bailout laws with new ones.
"The first priority is renegotiating with creditors," he said.
"Syriza needs to speak the language of truth about the continuing triple bankruptcy of the country - public debt, banks, private sector - something no Greek government has done so far."
Then, he pointed out, the party had to put forward proposals that would be reasonable to the average German.


British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland is running out of time to change his style before the first Test on 24 June, says New Zealand counterpart Steve Hansen.

Hansen watched his side defeat Samoa 78-0 before the Lions face the Maori All Blacks at Rotorua on Saturday.
"He keeps telling us he's got something up his sleeve other than his arms," said Hansen of Gatland.
"We'll wait and see, but he's starting to run out of time to get practice."
Gatland's Lions have won two and lost two of their four games in New Zealand so far.
Hansen, the former Wales head coach, has already said Gatland will struggle to change the way he plays.
"Once you have a style as a coach and it works for you, you stick with it," said Hansen. "It's going to be a big move if he changes."
Hansen was satisfied with his side's emphatic 12-try display against Samoa and is looking forward to the Lions' match against the Maori All Blacks.
"We're sitting here and we're finished for the weekend and we've come out with no injuries," Hansen said. "We get to sit down now and get really excited about what's ahead of us, which is the Lions," said Hansen.
"You wait 12 years for the Lions to come round, so you don't want to miss it.
"We get to watch them tomorrow night play the New Zealand Maori and they will throw the kitchen sink at them.
"It's a big game for the Lions again and then all the banter's out of the way, isn't it? We're into it, and I can't wait."
The Lions are set to call up at least five players this weekend, something Hansen predicted Gatland would do earlier in the week.
Hansen suggested it would be the right move for Gatland to add to his 41-man party, referring to the 44 Lions players Sir Clive Woodward picked in 2005.
"He clearly wants to bring them in so he can have two squads," Hansen said.
"Asking guys to play Test matches and then a midweek game is tough, so it's probably a smart play.
"It's about as many as Clive brought in.
"Although he was probably proven right, wasn't he? He should have brought them in the beginning."
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The Lions are waiting on the fitness of England outside-half Owen Farrell, who is battling to be fit for the first Test.
"He's injured at the moment and I think he'd be a massive loss," said Hansen.
"He's a world-class player and right up there. Where do I think he'll play? Probably at 12.
"He [Gatland] has said he's got something else up his sleeve other than his arm and that might be one of them.
"It doesn't matter where he plays, he's a good player and we just have to deal with whatever the Lions decide to do with their selections.
"But he's a world-class player and there's a lot of respect for him in our group."


The Plaid Cymru leader told Nick Servini last month: "I caution you against too many comparisons with Scotland. We're different countries and the SNP and Plaid Cymru are different parties and we're on different stages of our devolution journey."
A fair point, you might think, although it does make you wonder why Plaid then based their whole campaign strategy on demanding parity with Scotland.
Despite the SNP surge and the high UK-wide profile enjoyed by Ms Wood, Plaid ended up with a bog-standard election result for them - and, despite coming close in Ynys Mon, have fewer MPs now than they had when the Conservatives last won a majority in 1992. They finished fourth behind UKIP.
As recently as Monday, Plaid AM Rhun ap Iorwerth told Radio Wales:  "I'll put my head on the block and say I'll be disappointed with three seats, I won't try to spin it any other way, it will be disappointing obviously."
Plaid, who at one time thought Leanne Wood would be spending today around a negotiating table at Westminster, now face the awkward challenge of making their voice heard in a Plaid/SNP/Green parliamentary group in which they have 5 % of the membership.
For Welsh Labour, losing one seat instead of making the expected gains, it was a fairly dark night, failing to take their top target of Cardiff North and losing the Vale of Clwyd and Gower to the Conservatives. It's the first time Gower has not sent a Labour MP to Westminster.
It was far, far worse for the Welsh Liberal Democrats, losing deposits in almost every corner of Wales despite Kirsty Williams's role as deputy chair of the party's UK campaign. She blamed tuition fees - she said voters had stopped listening.
Her deputy in Wales, Roger Williams, lost his Brecon and Radnorshire seat to the Conservatives who spent a lot of money in the constituency, paying for a wraparound of the local weekly newspaper.
The Welsh Tories are understandably delighted at their best result for 32 years. Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb said it was "at the very top end of my expectations and ambitions".
He said his officials were currently writing legislation to transfer further powers to Wales, which I would expect to see included in the Queen's speech at the state opening of parliament later this month.
David Cameron said in Downing Street on his return from Buckingham Palace: "I will implement as fast as I can the devolution that all parties agreed for Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland."
That appears to confirm what George Osborne told us during his visit to Powys last week. The Scottish result will give impetus to the process, although the Welsh government is sceptical every time the prime minister mentions "respect" and the devolved institutions.
In other news, re-elected Montgomeryshire MP Glyn Davies has revealed how his majority was boosted by one vote.
"One voter decided to draw a detailed representation of a penis instead of a cross in my box on one ballot paper," said Mr Davies. "Amazingly, because it was neatly drawn within the confines of the box the returning officer deemed it a valid vote.
"Not sure the artist meant it to count, but I am grateful. If I knew who it was, I would like to thank him (or her) personally."
The results also reflect what Patrick Hannan described as the Welsh surname shortage - Wales has seven MPs called Davies, three Joneses and three Williamses. And Wales's 40 MPs include only two of the six politicians who took part in the Welsh leaders debates.


Pirates have been operating in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, for several years, prompting world powers to send their navies to safeguard international trade.

The pirates are very good at what they do. They run sophisticated operations using the latest hi-tech equipment such as satellite phones and GPS.
They are also heavily armed with rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47s. The pirates are known to receive tip-offs from contacts at ports in the Gulf of Aden.
They use speedboats with very powerful outboard motors to approach their target. Sometimes the speedboats are launched from much larger "mother ships" on the high seas and they have even managed to seize enormous oil tankers.
With warships patrolling along the Somali coast, the pirates have started to operate further away and have even staged some attacks across the Indian Ocean, closer to India than Somalia.
To actually hijack the ships, the pirates first use grappling hooks and irons - some of which are even rocket-propelled - and climb aboard using ropes and ladders. The pirates have also on occasion fired at the ships to scare them into stopping, so it is easier for them to board the vessel.
The pirates then sail the hijacked ship to their base, often the town of Eyl. There, pirates usually take the hostages ashore where they are normally well looked after until a ransom is paid.
The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) is advising ship owners to adopt measures such as having lookouts or travelling at speeds which would allow them to outrun the pirates.
However, the pirates move extremely quickly and often at night and so it is sometimes too late before the crew has realised what has happened.
Once the pirates have taken control of a ship, military intervention is complicated because of the hostages on board.
There is also no international legal system for people accused of piracy. Although some have been put on trial in Kenya, the government says it is unfair if all the pirate suspects are sent there.
One group has been jailed in the Netherlands - in Europe's first such case - while another group has been sentenced to death in Yemen. A trial in the US in 2010, meanwhile, convicted five men of piracy for an attack on a US Navy ship.
But pirates apprehended on the high seas are also frequently released because of the difficulties of prosecuting them.
Some argue an international court is needed, backed by the UN, with perhaps even an international prison for those convicted.
The UN Security Council has approved a resolution allowing countries to pursue Somali pirates on land as well as at sea - an extension of the powers countries already have to enter Somali waters to chase pirates.
But as long as Somalia continues to exist without an effective government, many believe lawlessness within the country and off its lengthy coast will only grow.
The IMB estimates that 53 ships were hijacked worldwide in 2010 - 49 of them off Somalia's coast - and says a record 1,181 hostages were taken.
The problem also appears to be growing. Overall, there were 445 pirate attacks in 2010, a 10% rise from 2009, the IMB says.
Meanwhile, maritime piracy costs the global economy between $7bn (Â£4.4bn) and $12bn (Â£7.6bn) a year, according to a separate study by a US think tank.
The problem is a massive headache for shipping companies, who pass on the extra costs - security, higher insurance premiums, ransoms and extra fuel for longer routes - resulting from the pirate threat to consumers.
The head of the European Union naval force tackling the pirates, Navfor, says he is worried that the pirates have been able to hugely expand their field of operations.
However, he also thinks the presence of the warships has made a difference.
Last year, Navfor said the pirates' success ratio - the number of successful hijackings versus the number attempted - had dropped from 50% a few years ago to 20-30%.
For the money. The pirates treat the ship, its cargo and its crew as hostages and hold them for ransom.
The rewards they receive are rich in a country where there are no jobs and almost half the population needs food aid after two decades of non-stop conflict.
The Kenyan foreign minister estimates pirates received $150m in ransom payments in 2009.
They use some of this money to fund future operations - more powerful weapons, bigger, faster boats and more sophisticated equipment.
Some of the pirates are former fishermen, who say they have been put out of business by trawlers from around the world taking advantage of the lack of government in Somalia to scoop up all the fish in its territorial waters.