The Nation Newspaper

Tag: neymar

  • FIFA receives Atletico complaint over Griezmann approach

    FIFA receives Atletico complaint over Griezmann approach

    Football ruling body FIFA has confirmed receiving a complaint from Atletico Madrid who say Spanish league leaders FC Barcelona have illegally contacted their forward Antoine Griezmann.

    “We have received a complaint from Atletico Madrid about Griezmann’s case,’’ a FIFA spokesman told newsmen on Wednesday, without commenting further on the case.

    The 26-year-old Frenchman Griezmann renewed his contract at Atletico in summer until 2022.

    According to FIFA rules, he cannot be approached by interested clubs until the final six months of his contract.

    Read also: FIFA Rates Super Falcons World 37th Best Team

    Spanish news reports said Atletico have proof that Griezmann has been contacted by Barca over a possible transfer.

    Reports also said that Atletico were not seeking compensation or requesting sanctions for FC Barcelona, ​​but wanted to bring the matter to the attention of the football ruling body.

    Griezmann, who came to Atletico in 2014, has been linked with several top clubs, including Manchester United.

    His release sum was halved to 100 million Euros (118 million dollars) on September 1.

    At Barca, he can fill the void Neymar left in summer when he moved on to Paris Saint-Germain for a world record fee of 222 million Euros.

    NAN

  • I prefer Ronaldo to Messi – Disu

    I prefer Ronaldo to Messi – Disu

    Tunde Disu, a former Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) says he prefers Cristiano Ronaldo to his Ballon d’Or rival, Lionel Messi.

    Disu made the disclosure in an interview on Friday in Lagos after Ronaldo emerged winner of the 2017 Ballon d’Or award.

    Ronaldo emerged winner of the prestigious award for the fifth time to draw level with Messi. The Portuguese was honoured at a gala night at the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

    It was a back-to-back win for the 32-year-old, who helped his country to win the UEFA European Championship in 2016.

    The fast-paced striker also scored 12 UEFA Champions league goals and 25 goals in the Spanish La Liga.

    He had previously won the Ballon d’Or in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018 to make it the fifth time.

    “Watching both players on the field is something you will ever enjoy, especially their dedication and efforts at bringing success to their various clubs.

    “For me, I see Ronaldo as a more complete player and I will go for him anytime because he is dangerous on air and can use both legs effectively.

    “Ronaldo on the field will always show signs of eagerness; he wants victory and is ready to play. He has that exceptional drive needed in every player.

    “Dedicated players in the mould of Ronaldo and Messi are not common at all. Although we have someone like Neymar of Brazil but his time has not come.’’

    Read also: Lagos J-League proud of Ndidi’s success at Leicester – Disu

    Disu advised other players to take up the challenge from Ronaldo and Messi to help their clubs attain the height which both players had achieved.

    “I am not surprised at their dominance in football for 10 years now. They merit all the awards and they are undisputable. Who has come closer to what they have achieved individually?

    “For both players, they helped their clubs achieve a great deal. See their commitment on the field of play and their goals which have helped their clubs win laurels.

    “Both players are world-class which we may not be able to replace now, it is a challenge other players must rise up to. They need to be on their level.

    “I expect other players to be game changers just like Ronaldo and Messi, let them help their clubs win their local league and champions’ league.  Players like Hazard should also step up,’’ said Disu.

    NAN

  • Neymar to replace Ronaldo at the Bernabeu

    Neymar to replace Ronaldo at the Bernabeu

     

    Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has reportedly met with Neymar’s dad to discuss bringing the Paris Saint-Germain star back to Spain to replace Cristiano Ronaldo.

    The Brazilian only arrived in Paris in the summer, leaving Real’s arch rivals Barcelona in a world-record £198million transfer.

    And he has hit the ground running at Parc des Princes, scoring 11 goals in 12 games for the big-spending French giants.

    However, according to Mundo Deportivo, it is understood that Perez and Neymar Snr have spoken about a possible return to Spain.

    Real Madrid were keen on signing the forward from Santos in 2013 but he opted to instead join Barca, where he won one Champions

    It is also reported that the door is always open at the Bernabeu — although a deal would only take place when Ronaldo’s contract expires in 2021.

    For now, though, it is understood Neymar is happy in France and is bidding to win silverware in his debut season in Ligue 1.

    There are fears at PSG that the Brazil international could be tempted to return to Spain if they fail to win major honours this season.

    The French side have moved to make him feel comfortable and it is believed he is settled in the dressing room, forging close relationships with fellow Brazilians Dani Alves, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva and Lucas Moura.

    His performances have played a key part in their positive start to the season, with PSG four points clear at the top of Ligue 1.

    They are also top of their Champions League group, winning all four of their matches including the 3-0 thrashing of German giants Bayern Munich.

  • Neymar set for PSG return against Anderlecht

    Neymar set for PSG return against Anderlecht

     

    Paris Saint Germain didn’t miss Neymar last Friday when they swept aside Nice with a 3-0 win as the world’s most expensive player served a one match suspension.

    The Brazil striker will be fresh and raring to go when he returns to the first-team line-up against Belgian side Anderlecht in the Champions League on Tuesday.

    Neymar’s side need one more victory to book their place in the last 16 of the tournament. Three points on Tuesday would see them progress with two group games to spare.

    PSG ran out 4-0 winners in Belgium on October 18, with Neymar joined by Kylian Mbappe, Edinson Cavani and Angel Di Maria on the scoresheet.

    And it was Cavani who relished being centre stage without Neymar on Friday as PSG surged to a 3-0 win over Mario Balotelli’s Nice side.

    There was a moment in the first-half where strikers Cavani and Balotelli momentarily squared up to each other but tempers did not boil over into any unsavoury scenes.

    The Uruguay forward scored twice in the first half to propel PSG into a strong lead before a Dani Alves effort sealed all three points.

    Neymar was absent due to the red card he received in PSG’s previous domestic fixture, a 2-2 draw at Marseille, for two bookable offences.

    After joining PSG for £198m from Barcelona in the summer, Neymar has scored 10 times in 11 appearances for the French club.

    As well as being three points clear atop Group B in the Champions League, PSG are four points ahead of second-place Monaco in Ligue 1 with a tally of 29 from 11 matches.

     

     

     

     

  • Neymar fined $1.2m in tax evasion case

    Neymar fined $1.2m in tax evasion case

     

    An appeals court in Brazil has fined Neymar 3.8 million Brazilian reales ($1.19m) for acting in “bad faith” regarding his attempts to delay a tax evasion case.

    The parents of the PSG and Brazil international as well as three companies that administer the player’s portfolio have all been fined, according to judicial sources.

    The ruling was given on Tuesday in a regional federal tribunal in Brazil regarding a case that was examined by the justice department in September 2015 and resulted in the player’s assets of 192.7m

    Brazilian reales ($62.2m) being seized to guarantee the payment of the taxes owed.

    The amount of the fine corresponds to two percent of the value that the Brazil Tax Office intends to get from Neymar for tax evasion and fines.

    Two years ago, Neymar was accused by the tax office of not paying the full amount of taxes between 2011 and 2013, and to have used family companies to pay less tax.

    According to the Tax Office, the striker created several companies so as to receive part of his salaries and his image rights, with the aim of not paying personal tax (27.5 percent) which is superior to corporate entities, which can vary from 15 to 25 percent.

    Magistrate Carlos Muta considered in his ruling that Neymar’s conduct in the process “characterises litigation of bad faith and a detrimental act to the dignity of Justice” because of the clear intention of the capacity of his defense to extend the case The magistrate considers that the former Barcelona and Santos player only wants to “obstruct the continuity of the process.”

  • Neymar wants Barcelona out of Champions league

    Neymar wants Barcelona out of Champions league

     

    Neymar has asked UEFA to ban Barcelona from the Champions League after they failed to honour his £23million loyalty bonus, according to reports in Spain.

    The Brazilian was advised by his lawyers to take the strongest possible action against his former club after they refused to pay the €26m (£23m) fee following his move to Paris Saint-Germain this summer.

    And Spanish outlet AS, report that UEFA were quick to reject Neymar’s request to expel Barcelona from Europe’s elite competition.

    Neymar’s £198m transfer to PSG was held up until August so the Brazilian’s father would receive the loyalty payment owed by Barcelona after July 31.

    But Barcelona refused to honour the bonus in Neymar’s contract, with a club spokesman claiming he had reneged on the agreement after negotiating with other teams before the payment was due.

    Meanwhile Barcelona director Raul Sanllehi, who played a pivotal role in bringing Neymar to the club, has left the Nou Camp.

    Marca report that Sanllehi did so ‘on his own volition’ but was left frustrated over the manner of Neymar’s departure to PSG.

    Neymar has made a strong start to life in Paris since joining for a world-record fee, scoring eight times in his first eight games in all competitions.

    The 25-year-old is currently with Brazil on international duty and complained about the conditions during their goalless draw against Bolivia, which was played on a pitch almost 12,000ft above sea-level.

    After the match at the Estadio Hernando Siles in La Paz, Neymar said it was ‘inhumane to play in such conditions, field, altitude, ball… everything bad’.

  • Neymar sings lamentation song over Bolivia draw

    Neymar sings lamentation song over Bolivia draw

     

    Brazil star Neymar has said that his team had to play in “inhuman” conditions during their 0-0 draw with Bolivia in La Paz on Thursday.

    Brazil have already booked their place at next summer’s World Cup but they could have had another win in qualifying had Bolivia keeper Carlos Lampe not kept Neymar and his teammates at bay.

    After the game, however, the Paris Saint-Germain attacker posted photos on social media of the Brazil squad wearing oxygen masks in the dressing room, complaining that conditions in Bolivia were not up to his usual standards.

    “Inhuman  to play in such conditions. Pitch, altitude, ball… everything bad,” he wrote on Instagram.

    “I felt a little tired — it’s normal,” Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus said. “[It’s the] first time I played in altitude like this. To feel it, it’s normal. We managed to play, set the rhythm. Unfortunately, the ball didn’t go in today.

    “It’s [time] to rest so that in the next games we can play another good game and score goals. Physically it takes a lot. Possession of the ball is in relation to the field. That wasn’t nice, but we can’t complain. It’s to enter the field and play, to confront problems.”

    Meanwhile, Brazil defender Thiago Silva picked up a leg injury in the first half and was replaced by PSG teammate Marquinhos.

    Thiago Silva, 33, had to be stretchered off after dropping to the ground with no one near him after 27 minutes of the match.

    “Thiago felt pain in the back of his right thigh,” Brazil boss Tite said after the game. “He couldn’t continue.

    Early evaluations show a possible muscle injury. He will be re-evaluated in Sao Paulo and after we’ll tell you what will be done.”

    Thiago Silva could now miss Brazil’s final qualifier against Chile on Tuesday, while PSG will anxiously await an update on his fitness.

    Any injury lay-off for the PSG captain would come at a bad time for the Ligue 1 leaders, who are due to play five games between Oct. 14 and the end of the month.

    Their upcoming fixtures include a trip to rivals Marseille, a match against Nice — one of last season’s title rivals — and two Champions League ties against Belgian team Anderlecht.

  • PSG coach says Neymar fit to face Bayern, downplays penalty row

    PSG coach says Neymar fit to face Bayern, downplays penalty row

    Neymar has been included in Paris St Germain’s squad for Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League game against Bayern Munich after recovering from a foot injury, coach Unai Emery said on Tuesday.

    The Brazilian forward’s return has however fuelled the raging speculation.

    The speculation is over whether Neymar or Edinson Cavani would take the penalty kick if the French club are awarded one during the Group B game at the Parc des Princes.

    The two players argued in the 2-0 win over Olympique Lyonnais nine days ago when Neymar tried to take a penalty kick instead of Uruguayan Cavani.

    Cavani eventually had his spot-kick parried away by the goalkeeper.

    “Neymar is in the squad to play the game on Wednesday,” Emery told a news conference.

    Neymar, the world’s most expensive footballer, missed PSG’s 0-0 draw at Montpellier on Saturday as the team dropped their first points of the season in Ligue 1.

    Argentine winger Angel Di Maria also returns to the PSG squad after nearly three weeks out injured.

    Neymar and Cavani are likely to start alongside Kylian Mbappe in a 4-3-3 formation and Emery said he had discussed the penalty kick situation with the players.

    “I spoke with each of them and they know how things will happen,” the Spanish coach said.
  • Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar on FIFA player of the year shortlist

    Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar on FIFA player of the year shortlist

    Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar have been nominated as finalists for the Best FIFA Men’s Player award, the football sport’s world governing body said on Friday.

    Ronaldo helped Real Madrid to a second consecutive UEFA Champions League title and finished as the tournament’s top scorer with 12 goals earlier this year.

    Messi and Neymar claimed the Spanish King’s Cup with FC Barcelona with the former finishing as La Liga’s top scorer with 37 goals last season.

    Juventus captain Gianluigi Buffon was shortlisted for the Best FIFA Goalkeeper award.

    He led the Italian club to a sixth successive Serie A title, a third-straight Italian Cup success and a runner-up finish in the UEFA Champions League.

    He was joined by Real Madrid’s Keylor Navas and Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer.

    Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, Chelsea’s Antonio Conte and Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri were on the shortlist for the Best FIFA Men’s Coach award.

    The women’s player of the year award will be contested between Venezuelan striker Deyna Castellanos, American midfielder Carli Lloyd, and Leike Martens, who helped Netherlands to the Euro 2017 title.

    The awards ceremony will take place in London on October 23.

  • ‘Angry’ Neymar Writes PSG: Sell Cavani Now or I’ll…

    ‘Angry’ Neymar Writes PSG: Sell Cavani Now or I’ll…

    The last may have not been heard about the clash between Neyamr and Edinson Cavani over who takes the penalty and free-kick at PSG.

    The battle lingers as Neymar has written to PSG’s team of Directors demanding that PSG sell team-mate and forward partner Edinson Cavani.

    As reported by a Spanish Sport publication on Tuesday, the Brazilian made his feelings abundantly clear to those in charge of the club.

    Neymar reported that his  relationship with the Uruguayan has become ‘impossible’ following their penalty dispute and dressing-room bust-up in the aftermath of the 2-0 victory against Lyon on Sunday.

    ‘Neymar has already communicated to Nasser Al-Khelaifi that his coexistence with Cavani is totally impossible and he has asked for the transfer of the Uruguayan striker,’ the Spanish publication quoted

    With the development, the PSG owner will now have a decision to make to smooth the duo relationship or go with the demand of the world-record signing sell Cavani who is one of the club’s established stars.

    Recall that Cavani was adamant to take the penalty which he subsequently missed against Lyon but Neymar was visibly annoyed as his team-mate refused to cede his spot kick duties.

    The duo continued to lock horns after the final whistle and had to be separated by team-mates in the dressing room as the row continued.

    Many believe part of Neymar’s motivation in moving to the French capital was to become the main man having lived in the shadow of Lionel Messi in Barcelona.

    The Brazilian joined PSG for £198m and wants to be the main man at his new club

    And given that the club forked out £198m for the 25-year-old, he evidently feels he should be treated as the primary attacking weapon.

    But Cavani has established himself as a fan favourite for Unai Emery’s side having spent four years with them, joining from Napoli in 2013.

    Whether the club appease their new superstar with the sale of Cavani in the next transfer window or attempt to find an amicable solution remains to be seen.