Things have gotten truly ugly at Paris Saint-Germain, with fans taking their ire at the club’s superstars to a new level this week.
Despite PSG being five points clear atop Ligue 1 and on course to win a fifth straight French title, the latest chapter involves supporters setting up protests outside of club headquarters and telling players to leave the team.
Possibly more than 100 fans joined that demonstration, chanting that players like Lionel Messi and Marco Verratti are no longer wanted. A subset of those fans took things even further, heading to Neymar’s house in the suburbs to chant “Neymar, get lost!” from just outside his gate. Neymar’s bemused neighbors captured the scene on video.
📸 PSG fans in front of Neymar's house pic.twitter.com/wXgIOBNM6M
— ParisienTimes (@parisientimes) May 3, 2023
Neymar hasn’t even been available for PSG since early March, when he underwent ankle surgery that is expected to keep him out until sometime in June.
PSG on Thursday issued a club statement saying that it “most strongly condemns the intolerable and insulting actions of a small group of individuals that took place on Wednesday. Whatever the differences of opinion, nothing justifies such actions. The club gives its full support to its players, its staff and all those targeted by such shameful behavior.”
Sour times at PSG
The protests are just the latest in a long series of messes at PSG. Messi has already gotten a taste of how the club’s fans have turned on the squad, being relentlessly booed during a loss to Lyon last month. On Monday, Messi was suspended by the club for two weeks after jetting off to Saudi Arabia without getting club permission.
In April, head coach Christophe Galtier denied allegations of racism dating back to his time in charge at Nice, while the club disappointingly crashed out of the Champions League in the round of 16 in March. Just before that, defender Achraf Hakimi was investigated by police after being accused of rape.
Even basic soccer matters have gone wrong. PSG has been dealing with a lengthy list of injured players all season long, and three of the last four teams to visit the Parc des Princes have beaten their hosts. The club’s poor form has given Marseille — who haven’t lost since PSG beat them 3-0 in late February — a slight chance of completing an unthinkable comeback in the Ligue 1 standings.
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