The Nation Newspaper

Tag: PSG

  • Neymar visits Pele after surgery

    Neymar spent time with Pele in hospital, raising the spirits of his Brazilian compatriot after emergency surgery.

    The PSG star shared a picture on his Instagram page with the 78-year-old legend and both men seemed in high spirits. The three-time World Cup winner arrived back in his homeland on Tuesday.

    In Neymar’s snap, Pele was lying in a hospital bed and clasped hands with the young forward, who simply wrote ‘king’ as a caption.

    Pele was in Paris when he fell ill and was taken in for emergency surgery due to a severe urinary infection.

    He was treated in the American Hospital of Paris after an event with Kylian Mbappe. And has now flown back to Brazil and was mobbed upon arrival, looking under-standably worse for wear after surgery and the long haul flight.

    Read Also: Neymar hits the beach in Qatar

    Fans, carers and media representatives surrounded him at Guarulhos International Airport near Sao Paulo as he was whisked away in a waiting car.

    Pele has suffered a number of health issues in recent years, arriving for the World Cup draw last year in a wheelchair and suffering with numerous problems with his hips and knees.

    ‘I’ suffered from a severe urinary infection that demanded medical and surgical assistance as an emergency,” the three-time World Cup winner explained.

    Neymar and Pele are both considered among the best Brazilian talents the world has ever seen and have a close relationship. No doubt Pele appreciated the visit from his young protege and pledged to return to work as soon as possible.

  • Evra under investigation over PSG comment

    Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra is under investigation by the High Court of Paris for anti-gay remarks aimed at Paris Saint-Germain.

    Evra received criticism from former Monaco teammate Jerome Rothen for his celebrations after United eliminated PSG from the Champions League in March.

    Evra responded by publicly threatening Rothen, before following that up with another expletive-laden tirade on social media, over which sources told ESPN FC PSG were considered legal action.

    “Next time I see you, I’m going to slap you in the face,” Evra had said to Rothen.

    “Stop supporting teams who will never win. Even my cousin who is in the front [of the car] is p—– off. Paris, you are some f—-ts, some f—-ts, I’m telling you.

    ”We [United] put our D team [against PSG] and we did you. Some kids played — they used to clean my boots. They don’t even have sperm [yet]. Paris, you are some p—ies.”

    He finished by reminding Rothen: “I will f—ing slap you in the face.”

    PSG later condemned Evra in an official statement and expressed a desire to support any action taken by partners Rouge Direct, Sportitude and SOS Racisme.

    “PSG strongly condemns Patrice Evra’s homophobic insults towards the club, its representatives, and its former player [Rothen], in a video broadcast across social networks,” PSG’s statement read.

    “These remarks deeply shocked a club very attached to the values of respect and openness towards each other.

    “The fight against homophobia and all forms of discrimination is at the heart of PSG’s actions and values, which has worked alongside Rouge Direct to fight homophobia, as well as Sportitude against all forms of racism.

    “PSG will support any initiative taken by associated partners Rouge Direct, Sportitude and SOS Racisme.”

    Rouge Direct were involved in the investigation opened into Evra’s comments and spokesperson Julien Pontes welcomed the news.

    “It is of great satisfaction to us at Rouge Direct,” he told AFP. “We welcome the speed of the Paris prosecutor’s reaction, who decided that the law does apply to Mr. Evra.

    “With a bit of determination, we can start to sanction procedures that have not yet been seen before in the footballing world.”

    Pontes added that Rouge Direct are hoping Evra is handed “an exemplary punishment.”

  • President Weah’s striker son to join Celtic on loan from PSG

    Timothy Weah will leave French champions Paris St Germain (PSG) on loan for six months in January, the U.S. striker said on Tuesday.

    British media reported that the 18-year-old was set to join Scottish champions Celtic.

    Weah has played only three times for PSG this season as bigger names such as Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani have limited his first-team chances.

    In a message posted in French on his Instagram page, Weah thanked his PSG team mates, the coaching staff and supporters for making him feel part of the family.

    “These few months have been great even though I haven’t played much,” Weah said.

    “I’ve always been grateful for the opportunities I had at the beginning of the season because it opened (for) me many doors this winter.

    “I hope after these six months, I will be ready to return to the Parc des Princes and give everything for you, proud to be Parisian.”

    Since making his international debut in March, Weah has chalked up more appearances for the U.S. than for PSG.

    The club have dominated French Ligue 1 this season with 15 wins in their first 17 matches.

    Weah is the son of former Liberia, PSG and AC Milan striker George Weah who won the 1995 Ballon D’Or.

    He became the fourth-youngest U.S. men’s national team player to score a goal when he netted in a 3-0 win over Bolivia in May.(Reuters/NAN)

  • Henry to Neymar: live with Messi shadow or quit

    Henry to Neymar: live with Messi shadow or quit

     

    Former Arsenal talisman and France international Thierry Henry believes that the only way Neymar can emerge from Lionel Messi’s shadow is to change sports entirely.

    Neymar shocked football by leaving Messi and Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain in August in a world-record £198million deal.

    The Brazilian’s move was in part down to his desire to play away from Messi and forge a career for himself without the Argentine’s influence.

    As Neymar’s current team-mate and compatriot Dani Alves explained, the 26-year-old had to make the move to escape Messi’s shadow.

    But Henry, who played with Messi at Barcelona for three seasons, believes the five-time Ballon d’Or winner will always loom over the sport no matter where you play.

    ‘I don’t know if Neymar left Barcelona to get out of Messi’s shadow,’ Henry told Spanish outlet Marca.

    ‘What is true is that all players are in Messi’s shadow, and if Neymar doesn’t want to be, he should change sport.’

    Neymar has made a sensational start to life in Paris with 28 goals in 29 appearances but his side are on the brink of

    Champions League exit to Real Madrid, having lost 3-1 in their last-16 first leg to Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. Ligue 1 is also considered a far less competitive division and Neymar’s chances to win the Ballon d’Or will live and die with PSG’s Champions League campaign.

    Messi meanwhile scored a late equaliser for Barcelona on Tuesday evening as they drew 1-1 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

    The 30-year-old has bagged 28 goals this season as Barcelona have established a seven-point lead at the top of the Spanish league table.

    Neymar who has already be named in Brazil’s World cup team to the World Cup in Russia has a contract with PSG that runs till 2022.

  • Neymar is most valuable player in Europe

    Neymar is most valuable player in Europe

     

    After leaving Barcelona in order to escape the shadow of Lionel Messi, Neymar has beaten the Argentine in one measure – being rated the world’s highest value player.

    The CIES Football Observatory has published its annual rankings of how much players in the top five European leagues – the Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A and the Bundesliga – are worth, based on factors including age, position, contract duration, performance and international status.

    The list, published every January, ranks Neymar top, with a value of €213million, or £188million, while Messi trails in second, worth €202.2m (£178.5m).

    Harry Kane’s increasing status in world football is reflected by being ranked third by the Football Observatory, with the Tottenham Hotspur striker valued at €194.7m (£172m).

    Kane leads an impressive showing by the Premier League on the list, with five of the top 10 players coming from the English top division. There are two from La Liga, two from Ligue 1 and one from Serie A.

    Dele Alli, Kane’s team mate for Tottenham and England, is sixth on the list, with the play maker valued at €171.3m (£151.25m). Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba are ranked seventh, eighth and tenth most valuable respectively.

    According to the list, although Manchester United spent £89m on Pogba, then £75 on Lukaku last summer, they actually got a good deal with both – the French midfielder is valued at £130m, and the Belgian striker at £145.5m.

    There are two PSG players in the top four – as well as Neymar, Kylian Mbappe makes a strong showing, valued just shy of £170m, having joined the Parisians from Monaco last summer.

    The other La Liga player alongside Messi in the top 10 is Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann, who is priced at £132m, while the most valuable Serie A star is judged as being Paulo Dybala of Juventus, who is given a tag of £154m and is fifth on the list.

    There are some big names further down the table, most notably Ballon D’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, who surprisingly is only the 49th most valuable player in Europe, say the Football Observatory.

    Perhaps due to his age – 32 – or his below par performances this season, the Real Madrid star is valued at £71m – a drop of more than £40m on his January 2017 valuation, and nearly £10m less than Real paid for him initially.

    Philippe Coutinho, who has just completed his Spanish-record £145m move from Liverpool to Barcelona, is also fairly lowly at 16th. He is valued at £108.6m – a substantial amount less than what the Catalan giants had to shell out.

  • Kurzawa shows off bizarre hairstyle for Bayern clash

    Kurzawa shows off bizarre hairstyle for Bayern clash

     

    The forward trio of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani usually draw all the attention when it comes to Paris Saint-Germain but that wasn’t the case on Monday morning.

    Instead all eyes were on left-back Layvin Kurzawa as the Frenchman showed off his rather unique new hairstyle during the team’s training session ahead of their final Champions League group game.

    The rest of the squad couldn’t help but tease the 25-year-old over his new look, which consisted of two brades hanging over his forehead.

    Unai Emery’s team’s had been expected to stretch their 10-point lead with some comfort at a club starting the day in 17th place but a 65th-minute goal from Stephane Bahoken ended their season-long, 22-match unbeaten sequence.

    However, PSG seemed unfazed by the result as they underwent a light session at their Ooredoo Training Centre ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Bayern Munich.

    Neymar and Co joked with one-another as they took part in a variety of passing and fitness drills on a chilly morning in Paris.

    It is little surprise that the squad looked so relaxed with Bayern needing to win by four clear goals should they wish to snatch the top spot in Group B.

    Jupp Heynckes’ team find themselves in that situation because of the 3-0 thrashing they received from a Neymar-inspired PSG in the French capital that precipitated the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti.

    Meanwhile Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman believes avenging their 3-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain this week will send a message to the rest of the Champions League contenders.

    The Bundesliga champions were beaten 3-0 in Paris in the reverse fixture in October, a result that prompted Carlo Ancelotti to be sacked as head coach.

    Bayern’s 2-1 league loss to Borussia Monchengladbach last month was their only defeat since that game at Parc des Princes and they have already secured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League once more.

    However, Coman wants to beat his old club – whose unbeaten run this season ended with a 2-1 loss at Strasbourg on Saturday – in order to underline Bayern’s credentials as challengers for the trophy.

    “I don’t think it’s a personal matter with PSG, but a message to all of Europe that Bayern want to win the Champions League,” he told a news conference.

    “Of course, it’s also about revenge, but it’s nothing personal.”

     

     

  • 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.”

  • 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.
  • Why African players battle to get recognition- Okocha

    Why African players battle to get recognition- Okocha

     

    Off the pitch worries ranging from how to overcome poverty, pressure to prove self and other challenges have been identified as reasons why African players seldom get international recognition.

    Former super Eagles Captain Jay Jay Okocha who made the submission while expressing a view on CNN, noted that

    African players are forced by circumstances beyond their control to work twice as hard if they are to enjoy recognition like their European counterparts. The former PSG and Bolton Wanderers mid field maestro however expressed hope that future players will get recognition faster as efforts are being made to remedy some of the situations serving as clog in the wheel of progress.

    “African players worry about a lot of challenges which affect them so they have to work twice as hard to earn recognition. You are under a lot of pressure to prove yourself, you worry about how to overcome poverty, and it will also interest you to know that some foreign clubs don’t sign African players because of the timing of the African Nations cup, so all these pose a lot of challenge for the African player and this no doubt can affect potentials. But a few things are being worked upon and I believe the younger players will have better chances, “he said he said

    Okocha who hailed multiple award winning duo of Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, noted that the two players have been unique especially with their ability to maintain consistency. “It is not easy to be consistent and they have managed to maintain that and that is really impressive,” he added.

    The rivalry between the two players he further noted is a positive one which has increased the desire for hard work among players for continuous self improvement.

    Okocha who played for eight different clubs in the course of his career, made 75 appearances for the super Eagles between 1993 and 2006 scoring 14 goals in the bargain.

  • ‘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.