TheNewsGuru

Tag: PSG

  • BREAKING: French Ligue 1 cancelled, PSG’s fate left hanging

    French Ligue 1 season will not restart due to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, following an announcement made by French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the French Prime Minister confirmed the development on Tuesday, leaving the hope of Paris St Germain (PSG) lifting the title hanging.

    “The 2019-2020 season of professional sports, especially that of football, will not be able to resume. To give event organisers visibility, I want to make it clear that major sporting and cultural events, in particular festivals, major trade fairs, all events that bring together more than 5,000 participants and are therefore the subject of a declaration at the police headquarters and must be organised well in advance, cannot be held before September,” Philippe said while announcing France’s plans to exit confinement.

    It is not yet known whether Ligue de Football Professional (LFP) will choose to abandon the season with no promotion or relegation and no champions.

    The governing bodies of French football are due to meet in May to discuss the final league standings, with it yet to be determined who will be crowned champions, who will be relegated and who will win promotion.

    PSG look set to be crowned Ligue 1 champions for a third successive year, having opened up a 12-point lead over Marseille at the top of the table.

    The 2020/21 season had been due to begin in August.

  • PSG to upgrade Neymar wages to £640,000-a-week

    PSG to upgrade Neymar wages to £640,000-a-week

    Ligue 1 giant Paris Saint-Germain aim to ward off all rivals by upgrading Neymar’s contract.

    Mundo Deportivo says PSG will offer Neymar a new contract worth a staggering £33million a year to persuade him to snub a Barcelona return.

    The Brazilian star has been regularly linked with a move back to the Nou Camp, where he played for Barcelona between 2013 and 2017 before a world-record £198m move to Paris.

    But PSG sporting director Leonardo will make an effort to tie him to the club until 2025 with a deal worth £640,000 a week.

    The new deal would bring Neymar’s salary closer to those of the only two footballers in the world who earn more than him – Lionel Messi at Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus.

  • Rakitic issues Barca warning over PSG move

    Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic admits he’d be upset if it was confirmed he’d been offered to PSG last year.

    It’s been suggested Rakitic was among the Barca players included in their failed offer for Neymar last summer.

    Asked if he knew he was part of the proposal, Rakitic told Mundo Deportivo: “What if I pay for not being included in a transfer planned by the club last summer?

    “Maybe, maybe not, but I always wanted to stay. If they wanted me to go to another team, no matter where, I would have liked to be told, just like you and I are saying things right now.

    “I have proven over the past five years that you can always count on me. I have done a lot of service for my teammates and the coach and I have shown that you can always count on me, so if it was because of that, it would hurt even more.

  • Chelsea willing to sell powerman Kante this summer

    Chelsea are reportedly open to selling their powerman N’Golo Kante this summer with both Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain holding interest in the World Cup winner.

    Both European giants could be tempted to test Chelsea’s resolve at the end of the season, and the Blues are believed to be willing to part ways with the Frenchman should they receive an acceptable offer.

    Kante established himself as one of the Premier League’s most impressive enforcers after being snapped up by Leicester in 2015, but Chelsea are now considering the future of their midfield with the player now approaching his 30s.

    According to 90min, Real Madrid may be lining up an ambitious swoop as part of a French-centred recruitment plan at the Bernabeu.

    Zinedine Zidane is said to be keen to recruit 29-year-old Kante – with international team-mates Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe also coveted by the legendary ex-attacker.

    But Real may be forced to fend off stern competition for Kante’s signature from Paris Saint-Germain.

    The Ligue 1 title chasers could submit a substantial offer should they feel that Chelsea will accept bids for their homeland hero.

    Kante’s contract is set to expire in 2023, with the World Cup winner not expecting to renew his terms at that time.

  • Neymar says he never flouted social distancing rules

    Neymar says he never flouted social distancing rules

    Paris St-Germain (PSG) forward Neymar has denied flouting social distancing rules following his return to his native Brazil.

    The accusation came after he posted pictures on Instagram which showed him sun-bathing and playing foot-volleyball with a group of friends.

    The 28-year-old said in a statement that the people in the photographs had travelled with him from Paris in a private jet and were in quarantine with him.

    “The photograph… shows Neymar alongside people who are in quarantine with him, people who travelled with him from Paris to Brazil,” said his spokesman in a statement published by the Globo media group in Brazil.

    “Neymar invited those people to spend the 14 days in quarantine there before joining their respective families.”

    The statement added that the only visit he had received was from his son Davi Lucca and the striker had avoided meeting other relatives, including his mother, grandmother and sister.

    “The house where the player is fulfilling quarantine is completely isolated, and allows peace and serenity for him to continue training,” it added.

    “Neymar continues to do his daily workout, to prevent injury and maintain his fitness, with his coach Ricardo Rosa. (He is) looking forward to the end of this sad moment for humanity and the return to work that will follow.”

  • Coronavirus: Neymar leaves Paris

    Coronavirus: Neymar leaves Paris

    Paris Saint-Germain forward, Neymar, has returned to his native Brazil, due to the coronavirus pandemic, ESPN reports.

    Neymar left France with his international team-mate, Thiago Silva, before the country went into lockdown on Tuesday.

    PSG gave all the players permission to leave the country and self-isolate where they wanted or stay home in Paris.

    It is believed that another of Neymar’s compatriot, defender Marquinhos chose to remain in France over returning to Brazil.

    The players have been given instructions by the PSG coaching staff to maintain their fitness levels.

    These plans include eight minutes of warm up, 10 minutes of doing weights (pushing at least their own weights or more), 40 minutes of running on the treadmill with a change of pace and five minutes of warm down.

  • UCL: PSG overcome Dortmund to reach quarter-finals

    UCL: PSG overcome Dortmund to reach quarter-finals

    Paris St-Germain rid themselves of their Champions League curse as they overturned a 2-1 deficit against Borussia Dortmund inside an empty Parc des Princes to reach the last eight.

    Concerns over the coronavirus meant fans were barred, but many gathered outside the stadium and celebrated when Neymar headed PSG into the lead.

    Juan Bernat made it 3-2 on aggregate when he turned in Pablo Sarabia’s ball.

    Dortmund’s Emre Can saw red late on after two bookings in quick succession.

    PSG’s players celebrated wildly at full-time before greeting the hundreds of supporters who remained outside the Parc des Princes.

  • PSG star tested for coronavirus

    PSG star tested for coronavirus

    Paris Saint-Germain attacker Kylian Mbappe might not be able to play in his team’s must-win Champions League match on Wednesday as the French star deals with a throat infection and a fever.

    Mbappe was also tested for coronavirus, according to L’Equipe, but the results came back negative.

    Mbappe is expected to be a game-time decision against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday but he has been included in the squad for the game.

    PSG is down, 2-1, in the tie and will pla in an empty Parc des Princes in the second leg of its round of 16 tie due to coronavirus concerns.

    “He was sick yesterday and he is sick today with angina,” PSG coach Thomas Tuchel said Tuesday, according to beIN Sports. “We must wait and decide tomorrow morning [whether he will play].”

    PSG picked up an away goal from Neymar in the first leg in Germany to give itself a nice shot of advancing to the quarterfinals, but not having Mbappe would make getting through even more complicated. The 21-year-old Paris native is having a monster season and looks set to surpass last season’s goal total of 39.

    He’s got 30 goals in 32 games so far this season and is coming off of a hat trick against Lyon a week ago.

    Mbappe has scored in six of the team’s last nine games, and he’s either registered a goal or an assist in each of the last six games.

  • PSG, Dortmund clash to be played behind closed doors

    Paris St-Germain’s Champions League last-16 match against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday will be played behind closed doors because of coronavirus.

    Paris police made the decision on Monday in a bid to contain the spread of the virus.

    The French champions, trailing 2-1 from the first leg, host the German side at Parc des Princes.

    PSG said it was “fully mobilised” to ensure the match will go ahead in the “best possible conditions”.

    France has 1,116 confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to the World Health Organisation, with only China, South Korea, Italy and Iran having more.

  • PSG crush 10-man Lyon to reach French Cup final

    Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick as Paris St Germain thrashed 10-man Olympique Lyonnais 5-1 on Wednesday to reach the French Cup final and remain on course for a domestic treble.

    Ligue 1 leaders PSG, who will also face Lyon in the League Cup final, prevailed thanks to Mbappe’s treble and goals by Neymar and Pablo Sarabia after Martin Terrier had put the hosts in front early on.

    Lyon finished with 10 men after Fernando Marcal was sent off in the 61st minute for picking up a second yellow card, leaving his team to exposed with the scores level at 1-1.

    PSG will take on holders Stade Rennais or St Etienne at the Stade de France on April 25.

    Terrier put the hosts ahead on 11 minutes when he latched onto Karl Toko-Ekambi’s pass.

    Mbappe equalised three minutes later by deflecting in Layvin Kurzawa’s header for his 28th PSG goal of the season in all competitions.

    Marcal’s handball earned PSG a penalty and the Brazilian defender his second yellow card.

    Neymar converted the spot kick and Mbappe took advantage of PSG’s extra man by adding a third at the end of a dazzling 60-metre run.

    Sarabia rubbed salt in Lyon’s wounds with a fourth from close range and his seventh in the competition this season – before Mbappe rounded it off with another goal in stoppage time.