La Liga
Barca Losing Hope on Neymar
Despite scoring three incredible goals in two recent matches for FC Barcelona who are in the US on pre-season tour, the silence of Neymar concerning his future is increasingly become a great concern to the management of the Catalan club.
Sports Village Square recalls that Neymar has been at the centre of the biggest transfer controversy since 2006 when both Manchester United and Chelsea were at war over the signing of Nigeria’s Mikel Obi.
French Ligue 1 side, Paris Saint-Germain has offered to pay the staggering $254.7 million release clause in astounding $254.7 million release clause in Neymar’s contract with FC Barcelona.
His silence on the matter has become a grave concern to the management of Barcelona who feared that the player could force an exit to Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
According to the UK Telegraph, quoting Daily Sport, a Barcelona based newspaper, sources inside FC Barcelona are growing increasingly worried that Neymar’s lack of commitment to the club – both publicly and privately – is a major sign that he’s preparing to make the switch to the Paris.
The winning goal he scored against Manchester United on Wednesday in the United States may just be his last for the club as sources in Paris Saint-Germain are maintaining that it is just a couple of days for Neymar to complete the switch.
The Catalan Daily Sport claims that the Brazilian’s teammates are growing ever more pessimistic about his continued status as a Barcelona player, with their sources admitting: “Neymar is talking to everyone but is not given any sign about what his final decision might be.”
Meanwhile, French newspaper, L’Equipe reported that PSG are growing impatient with the saga, telling Neymar that they want to be given a final decision on his future by next week as they prepare to fight to regain their Ligue 1 title from Monaco – while AS carry French reports claiming that a five-year deal has already been agreed between player and club.
The Catalan Daily Sport, also revealed that Barcelona were aware of PSG’s move for Neymar weeks before talk of the transfer went public, but chose not to intervene and talk to the 25-year-old until he returned to the club for pre-season training.
That delay gave the French side time to worm their way into his plans, with talks at an ‘advanced stage’ by the time anybody from the Catalan club had the chance to speak to the man who they still consider the future of their club.
Barcelona said their request for a permit to return to the Camp Nou for Sunday’s LaLiga match against Real Sociedad has been denied, with the city council highlighting safety and security issues with the revamped venue.
Barca had been hoping to return to a reduced-capacity Camp Nou with 27,000 spectators but have failed to obtain the necessary permits from Barcelona City Council.
Barca will instead host the match at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Montjuic, where they played during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons with renovations at Camp Nou now nine months behind schedule.
“We have spotted different elements that need to be fixed and have an impact in the safety and security of the stadium,” chief of civil protection Sebastia Massague said at a city council meeting.
Barca had to begin their LaLiga home campaign at the Estadi Johan Cruyff in their own training complex, where only 6,000 fans attended their match against Valencia on September 14, after a Post Malone concert left the Lluis Companys pitch in poor condition.
“The club is currently working on the new amendments that the council has shared today,” Barca said in a statement.
On Friday, the Catalan club also announced that their Champions League group stage match against Paris St Germain on October 1 would also take place at the Lluis Companys.
Barca are second in LaLiga, trailing leaders Real Madrid by five points but having played a game fewer.
-Reuters
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Villarreal midfielder Thomas Partey on Wednesday appeared in a London court and pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault involving three women.
Partey, a Ghana international, is accused of five counts of rape relating to two women, plus a charge of sexual assault against a third woman, between April 2021 and June 2022.
The alleged offences took place when Partey played for Premier League soccer club Arsenal. He left the club this summer and signed for Spain’s Villarreal.
The 32-year-old appeared in the dock at Southwark Crown Court and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth and enter his not guilty pleas.
Partey was released on bail ahead of his trial, which was listed for Nov. 2, 2026 and is due to take between six and eight weeks.
He was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59.2 million) in 2020 and became a key member of the English side’s first team, before his contract expired at the end of June.
Partey played for Villarreal in their Champions League game against Arsenal’s bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night.
He came on as a second-half substitute and was booed loudly by the Spurs fans every time he touched the ball.
-Reuters
Villarreal and Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey, who has been charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, walks outside Southwark Crown Court, in London, Britain, September 17, 2025. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska
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Real Madrid on Tuesday denounced plans to stage a LaLiga match between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami, warning the proposal could undermine football’s competitive balance and vowing to petition global governing bodies to block the move.
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on Monday approved the December 20 fixture at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which could become the first LaLiga match held abroad and the first European league fixture staged in the United States.
“Real Madrid wish to express to its members, supporters and football fans in general its firm rejection of the proposal,” the club said in a statement, revealing they have already urged FIFA, UEFA and Spain’s Higher Sports Council (CSD) to intervene.
The club accused the RFEF of making its decision “without informing or consulting the clubs participating in the competition” and argued that staging the match in Miami “violates the essential principle of territorial reciprocity” in home-and-away league formats.
Real further stated that the move would “alter the competitive balance” and grant “an unfair sporting advantage” to the clubs involved.
The club also warned that approving the proposal could compromise sporting integrity and “set an unacceptable precedent,” insisting any change of this nature should require “the express and unanimous agreement of all the clubs participating in the competition”.
The plan still requires approval from UEFA, US Soccer, CONCACAF and ultimately FIFA before LaLiga President Javier Tebas can realise his long-held ambition of taking Spanish football to the U.S.
-Reuters
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