Tag: Ligue 1

PSG suspends Messi two weeks for unauthorized Saudi Arabia trip

Messi’s jaunt to Riyadh caused plenty of strife within PSG’s locker room

Paris Saint-German has made the eye-opening decision to suspend superstar Lionel Messi two weeks without pay for his unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia, per reports from RMC Sport and L’Equipe.

As first reported by L’Equipe, PSG manager Christophe Galtier told his players that they could have Monday and Tuesday off should they defeat Lorient on Sunday.

However, PSG lost 3-1 to the mid-table side in a dismal effort at Parc des Princes. After that defeat, however, Messi went ahead and flew to Saudi Arabia anyway on Monday without asking for permission.

Meanwhile, back in Paris, PSG’s squad trained on Monday without Messi.

Messi is a paid spokesperson for Saudi Arabia’s tourism board, and made an appearance with his family in Riyadh on Monday.

The Argentinian will now miss PSG’s next two games, against Troyes on Sunday and against Ajaccio on May 13.

According to multiple reports, Messi’s unauthorized trip caused tension within PSG’s locker room, with several players feeling as though the Argentine superstar was getting preferential treatment.

That, in part, led club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi to make the extraordinary decision to suspend one of the game’s all-time greats.

Messi’s contract at PSG expires at the end of the current season, with his next destination subject to plenty of speculation. This latest strife between Messi and his club would seem to make it more likely that the 35-year-old will leave Paris after two seasons following the conclusion of the current campaign.

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PSG coach Galtier ‘shocked’ by racism allegations

Galtier said he was prepared to take legal action

PSG head coach Christophe Galtier has said he’s “shocked” by recent allegations of racism and has vowed to take legal action to clear his name.

Earlier this week, reports in France quoted a leaked email from Nice’s former director of football Julien Fournier, in which he told the club’s owners Galtier said there were too many black and Muslim players in the squad.

Galtier, who coached Nice from 2021 to 2022, had the chance to respond on Friday in his pre-match press conference.

“I have been extremely shocked by the allegations that some people have irresponsibly made and relayed,” Galtier said while reading a written statement. “These allegations hurt me in the deepest part of my being.

“I am a child who grew up in a council estate, in a melting pot with values of sharing and respect for others, regardless of their origins or religion. All my life and career has been guided by the the wellbeing and sharing with others.

“I cannot accept that my name and my family could be tarnished in this way. So I have decided to take legal action against anyone damaging my reputation. I trust our legal system and I also welcome the start of a legal proceeding this morning with serenity. I will not make any more comments on this matter.”

Before Galtier spoke, a PSG spokesperson read a statement of support for the coach, saying: “The club supports Christophe Galtier in the face of the many and unacceptable threats he has received, and now hopes that this matter will be dealt with by the courts.”

Nice prosecutor Xavier Bonhomme has announced that a preliminary investigation has been opened into possible “racial or religious discrimination.”

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PSG fans put charm offensive on Messi by booing him mercilessly

Perhaps not the best way to convince your star player to sign a new contract

Lionel Messi has a big decision to make at the end of this season.

The Argentine superstar’s contract at PSG is set to expire this summer, and he seems to have three pretty clear options for now: re-sign with the Paris side, complete an emotional return to Barcelona (who may not be able to actually afford him), or take his talents to South Beach and sign with Inter Miami.

Option number one looked like a safe bet a few months ago amid widespread reports that the World Cup Golden Ball winner had verbally agreed to a new deal.

But nothing has yet been signed and this weekend, PSG fans didn’t exactly do their utmost to show Messi he’d be welcomed back for another run at Parc des Princes.

Instead, at least some sections of the home support booed Messi throughout Sunday’s dismal 1-0 loss to Lyon.

Messi was not at his best in the game against Lyon, nor, more importantly, over a two-leg defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League last 16.

But for head coach Christophe Galtier, who admitted Messi wasn’t at his best against Lyon, those whistles were still harsh.

“Leo Messi tried very hard,” Galtier said. “It is not just about Messi and Kylian Mbappé. There were some technical mistakes in his [Messi’s] link-up play, but I think the whistles are hard to listen to because Leo Messi gives so much. He has got goals and assists in 2023, but it is also down to his teammates in terms of doing more to create more danger in the opposition penalty box.”

Asked if he had considered benching Messi, Galtier added: “When it is a difficult period and you need to turn a situation around and score goals, Leo Messi is a decisive player who is capable of coming up with a moment of magic that can be decisive for scoring goals. He has scored goals in 2023, he has got assists. I have never thought about taking him off or not playing him. He is an important player in our attacking lineup.”

Even after four scoreless games in a row, Messi has 18 goals and 17 assists in all competitions this season.

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This is not a drill: Folarin Balogun is (probably) in Orlando

Balogun to the USMNT confirmed? Not so fast!

Folarin Balogun playing for the U.S. men’s national team just became quite a bit more plausible.

Either that, or he really wants to visit Disney World.

That’s because the in-demand striker has been spotted in Orlando — the city where, as it happens, the USMNT is stationed right now ahead of its upcoming CONCACAF Nations League matches.

After posting his annoyance about not getting called into England’s senior national team (or maybe about something else entirely), Balogun was called up by England’s U-21 side, only to withdraw on Tuesday with what the FA said was an injury.

The next day, the striker posted a couple pictures of himself and an unidentified man on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CqGb27cOMLy/?hl=en

No big deal, right? But wait, what does that wall behind them say?

“Here to chase tail.” That sure looks like the wall of a bar called Pups Pub in, yes, Orlando!

If there were any lingering doubt as to Balogun’s locale in the photos, the building behind him in the first picture is also very much located in Orlando.

So Balogun to USMNT confirmed? Well, not so fast.

First off, there is no confirmation the pictures are necessarily from the past 24 hours. Balogun was actually in Orlando with Arsenal last summer when the club played in the preseason Florida Cup against Chelsea.

Shortly after, Balogun joined Reims on loan, where he’s scored 17 goals to put himself among Ligue 1’s top scorers this season.

If the pictures are recent, there is also a chance that Balogun is visiting the USMNT not as a commit but as a recruit, looking to get a feel for the team and atmosphere before making a final decision on his international future.

Or he just wants to ride Space Mountain.

On Wednesday, Matt Turner was asked about Balogun after the USMNT goalkeeper and the striker were teammates during Arsenal’s preseason.

“I knew going into [preseason] that he had some roots in the U.S.,” Turner said of the New York-born forward. “So him and I developed a relationship pretty quickly.

“We check in on each other here and there. He’d be a great addition to our national team. He’s done really well for his club on loan and we’ll see — the decision has to come from the heart.

“It’s not necessarily an easy task always to come and play in these CONCACAF games. And it’s a tough region at times. So for us, we’d be really grateful to have him but his heart needs to be in it.”

In any event, we have reached out to U.S. Soccer for comment, and will update this post with any response.

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Hudson: USMNT in ‘open dialogue’ with Balogun

The 21-year-old striker is flying high on loan with Reims

U.S. Soccer is in “open dialogue” with Folarin Balogun, according to U.S. men’s national team interim coach Anthony Hudson.

The Arsenal striker has been a revelation this season on loan with Reims, scoring 16 goals in Ligue 1.

Balogun’s performance in France has led to plenty of speculation over his future, both for club and country.

The New York-born striker is eligible to represent the USMNT, Nigeria and England, and has played for both the U.S. and England at the youth international level.

Most recently, Balogun has been involved in England’s U-21 setup, while he reportedly turned down a senior call from Nigeria this month.

Hudson told reporters on Wednesday that he and U.S. Soccer officials have been in communication with the on-demand striker, though he would not elaborate any further.

“With Flo, all I’ll say is that there is open dialogue with him and his team, and that dialogue is continuing,” Hudson said. “That’s all I can say on that one.”

Hudson spoke in general terms about the federation’s efforts to recruit dual-national players, which paid off this week when Alex Zendejas committed to the USMNT over Mexico.

“It’s been really important to make sure we’re doing all we can to engage with [dual-nationals] and if there are any out there that can help the team, we need need to connect and engage … and try to encourage them,” Hudson said. “We need to show them what we’re doing, and hopefully get guys to come and commit to us.”

U.S. Soccer’s recruiting efforts could, however, be hampered by the absence of a permanent USMNT head coach and general manager, as well as a U.S. Soccer sporting director.

U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone has said she hopes to have a sporting director in place before the start of the World Cup in July, which would be followed by a permanent USMNT head coach.

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Angers coach gives team talk downplaying sexual assault, promptly quits

The coach attempted to motivate his team in just about the worst way imaginable

Angers head coach Abdel Bouhazama has quit after giving one of the most ill-advised team talks of all time.

Prior to Sunday’s game at Montpellier, Bouhazama addressed his team and mentioned starting left back Ilyes Chetti, who is facing sexual assault charges.

L’Equipe reported details of the team talk, in which Bouhazama reportedly attempted to instill an “us against the world” mentality in just about the worst way imaginable.

“He said: ‘It’s nothing nasty. We all touched girls before.’ We were all stunned, without reaction, on hearing something like that,” an anonymous Angers player told the French publication.

Angers would then go out and lose 5-0.

Bouhazama admitted to L’Equipe that he had used those words, adding: “I also said that what my player did was wrong and that we all make mistakes.”

It only took two days for the pressure to get to Bouhazama, with Angers confirming the manager had left his position on Tuesday.

The club’s statement attempted to defend Bouhazama somewhat, saying his words were taken out of context, adding that the coach was already considering resignation before the Montpellier match with Angers firmly at the bottom of the Ligue 1 table.

“A controversy arose on Monday after remarks, taken out of context, made during the pre-game chat, leaked to the local and national press,” the club said. “Faced with media pressure and to preserve the club’s image and the serenity of the locker room, Abdel Bouhazama announced to President Saïd Chabane that he had decided to leave his position as coach of the professional team. The President accepts the coach’s decision.

“To remove all ambiguities and misunderstandings, Angers SCO unreservedly condemns the words spoken during the talk, even if they seem to be clumsy rather than intended to trivialize sexist words.

“Moreover, the club does not accept any form of discrimination and condemns sexism and misogyny. Abdel Bouhazama apologized to his colleagues, especially women, and therefore preferred to draw the consequences of both his record and his clumsiness.”

Bouhazama was only named permanent head coach at the beginning of 2023, and has not been able to turn around Angers’ disastrous season. The club looks destined to be relegated, having lost 20 of its 26 league games so far this season.

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Neymar likely out for season with ankle injury

The Brazilian star will be sidelined for 3-4 months after he undergoes ankle surgery

Neymar has suffered another major injury setback, as PSG announced the Brazilian superstar will require ankle surgery and will be sidelined 3-4 months.

With just about three months remaining in the season, the 31-year-old looks likely to be out for the remainder of the 2022-23 campaign.

Neymar suffered the injury in a win over Lille on February 19, as he was stretchered off midway through the first half.

“Neymar Jr has sustained a number of instances of instability in his right ankle in recent years,” read a PSG statement. “Following his latest sprain … the Paris Saint-Germain medical staff recommended a ligament repair operation to avoid a major risk of recurrence. All the experts consulted have confirmed this necessity.

“The surgery will be performed in the next few days at the ASPETAR hospital in Doha. It will take 3-4 months before he can return to training with the team.”

Neymar was in the midst of another standout campaign, with 18 goals and 17 assists in all competitions.

PSG currently leads Ligue 1 by eight points, and will face Bayern Munich on Wednesday in a Champions League last-16 second leg. The Bundesliga giants won the first leg 1-0 in Paris last month.

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Mbappe is only 24 and is already PSG’s all-time top goalscorer

Mbappé scored again, but this time he made PSG history

This soccer thing might just be working out for Kylian Mbappé.

The Paris Saint-Germain and France star, who as a reminder is still just 24, made some history on Saturday by scoring his 201st goal for the club. That’s a new PSG record, and one that would be an amazing achievement for someone with over a decade at a given club. Mbappé, who only moved to PSG in August 2017, is just built a little different.

Mbappé set the record in the last moments of PSG’s 4-2 win over Nantes. It had been something of a rocky game for the Parisians, with Nantes fighting from 2-0 down to equalize before halftime. PSG nosed back in front thanks to Danilo Pereira’s 60th minute goal, before Mbappé secured his place in the PSG record books in stoppage time.

With Nantes building out of the back in pursuit of a last-gasp equalizer at the Parc des Princes, Timothée Pembélé applied some token pressure, and then pounced as the visitors made a complete mess of the situation.

Pembélé, as is often the case for PSG players, found himself in the box with two unreal options: feed Mbappé, or cut it back for Leo Messi lurking at the top of the box.

Maybe Pembélé never saw Messi, or maybe he just wanted to make sure he got the assist on a history-making goal, but he fed Mbappé — with Nantes defender Jean-Charles Castelletto on his back — eight yards from goal.

Mbappé posted up on Castelletto before rolling him, catching the defender leaning before turning to his left to fire past Alban Lafont.

The goal took Mbappé past Edinson Cavani, who scored 200 times for PSG in 301 appearances between 2013-20. For Mbappé, it only took 247 games to break the Uruguayan’s club record.

“It’s a personal achievement but I also came here for collective achievements,” Mbappé said in quotes published by the AP. “I was still a young player when I arrived here. I’ve learned a lot here. I play to write history, and I always said that I want to do it here, in France, in its capital city.”

Following the match, Mbappé was presented with a “201” trophy to commemorate the occasion. Given that his contract runs through 2025 (and could end up going through 2027 if option years are taken up), there’s every chance that Mbappé will end up setting such a high mark for PSG that no one gets close to it for decades to come.

(Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)

Mbappé is, perhaps unsurprisingly, back atop the Ligue 1 goalscorers’ table for the 2022-23 season, with 17 goals after 26 matches. That puts him two ahead of two CONCACAF-connected forwards, with Folarin Balogun (who remains eligible for the U.S. men’s national team) and Canada striker Jonathan David both tied for second with 15 goals apiece.

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Neymar joins ever-expanding list of PSG absentees for Bayern clash

Neymar is one of a possible five absentees for a must-win match

Paris Saint-Germain’s quest to finally win a Champions League just keeps getting more difficult.

Speaking ahead of his side’s home match against Nantes, PSG boss Christophe Gaultier has confirmed that Neymar will be out for both this weekend’s game as well as Wednesday’s second leg at Bayern Munich.

“Neymar will not be available in the next two games,” Galtier told reporters on Friday. “Without him, we may play with two [central] midfielders and three attackers, or three midfielders and two attackers.”

Back on February 19, Neymar appeared to roll his ankle in PSG’s wild 4-3 comeback win over Lille, leaving the game early in the second half on a stretcher. The following weekend, PSG adjusted to his absence in a 3-0 win at Marseille by bringing Marquinhos in at the back, shifting into a 3-5-2 formation.

Against Lille, Galtier sent Hugo Ekitiké in as Neymar’s replacement, but the 20-year-old is a very different sort of player. That wasn’t the only injury-enforced change for PSG on the day, as Nuno Mendes left the match after just 31 minutes. The Portuguese left back’s status for PSG’s upcoming games is uncertain.

PSG badly shorthanded vs. Bayern

While the win over Marseille was potentially decisive in Ligue 1 — PSG moved eight points ahead of l’OM, their closest competition for the league title at the moment — it came with yet another serious injury. Presnel Kimpembe suffered a torn Achilles tendon, adding to a growing list of injury doubts as PSG faces its biggest challenge of the season at the Allianz Arena.

In his press conference, Galtier noted that wingback Achraf Hakimi — who is being investigated for rape by French authorities — is questionable due to “muscle pain” that the coach says stems from an injury picked up during the World Cup.

Renato Sanches, meanwhile, seems sure to remain out after suffering a reoccurrence of a hamstring strain last month.

It’s not a great recipe for a PSG side that were outplayed in Paris by Bayern, falling 1-0 on a goal from Kingsley Coman. At full strength, they would have an enormously difficult task on their hands: no one has beaten Bayern at home since Eintracht Frankfurt notched a 2-1 victory back on October 3, 2021.

But without Neymar and so many other important players? It’s hard to see PSG managing to advance to the quarterfinals, leaving their pursuit of Champions League glory on hold for at least another year.

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PSG and Morocco star Achraf Hakimi investigated for rape

The 24-year-old has yet to comment publicly on the allegations.

PSG and Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi is being investigated for rape, according to French prosecutors.

Multiple reports on Friday stated that the prosecutor’s department of Nanterre, just outside Paris, has opened an investigation into Hakimi after a 23-year-old woman went to police accusing him of rape.

In a statement to CNN on Wednesday, a PSG spokesperson said the club “supports the player who has firmly denied the accusations and trusts the justice system. Paris Saint-Germain is an institution that promotes respect on and off the pitch.”

Hakimi’s lawyer Fanny Colin denounced the allegations in a statement, saying: “It follows in my opinion from the documents which are in the hands of the judicial police that Mr. Hakimi has, in this case, been the subject of an attempted racketeering.”

Hakimi, 24, has yet to comment publicly on the allegations.

Rachel Flore Pardo, the lawyer for the alleged victim, told AFP: “My client maintains everything that she said. She made the choice to speak exclusively to prosecutors and does not want the affair to become a media issue, mainly to protect her safety.”

Hakimi appeared in Paris on Monday at the FIFA Best awards ceremony, where he was named in the FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World 11.

The honor came after the right back led Morocco on an improbable run to the semifinal at World Cup 2022, becoming the first African nation to reach the last four of the competition.