French Ligue 1
LaLiga file complaints against PSG and Man City to UEFA
LaLiga have filed a complaint to UEFA against Paris St Germain and Manchester City over alleged Financial Fair Play violations, the Spanish professional soccer league announced on Wednesday.
The organisation said it would take “further legal action to the European Union, France and Switzerland” justice systems as it understands that “these clubs are continually breaching the current regulations” of financial fair play.
LaLiga said it lodged the complaint against Manchester City to UEFA in April before filing the one against PSG last week.
The Spanish league also said it was “contemplating expanding that complaint” against City due to “new data” that has come to light. Although the statement did not give any specific details, the English champions signed Norway striker Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund on a contract that reportedly could cost them over 300 million euros ($313 million), including his salary, agent fees and bonuses.
LaLiga president Javier Tebas said last month the organisation would take legal action against the French club after Kylian Mbappe snubbed a move to Real Madrid at the 11th hour and renewed his contract with PSG until 2025.
LaLiga reacted angrily to Mbappe’s contract extension, saying PSG’s new offer to Mbappe “attacks the economic stability” of European football.
“It is scandalous that a club like PSG, which last season reported losses of more than 220 million euros ($232.32 million) after accumulating losses of more than 700 million euros in prior seasons … with a squad cost around 650 million for this season, can close such an agreement,” LaLiga said at the time.
After months of negotiations with Real Madrid, France international Mbappe ended up staying with the Ligue 1 champions for a reported annual salary of 50 million euros until 2025.
This is not the first time that LaLiga has filed complaints against “state owned clubs” PSG and Manchester City.
PSG is owned by the state-run Qatar Sports Investments, while City is under Abu Dhabi ownership.
In 2017 and 2018, it had also filed complaints against the two clubs over breach of financial fair play rules, leading to sanctions by UEFA. However, City and PSG lodged appeals with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), who ruled in the two clubs’ favour, a decision the Spanish league called “strange”.
LaLiga also announced it was “studying different legal options in Switzerland” against PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi for “possible conflicts of interest” derived from his different roles running the French club, and his different roles in UEFA, European Club Association (ECA) and BeIN Sports.
-Reuters
Paul Pogba has joined AS Monaco on a free transfer after signing a two-year contract, the Ligue 1 club said on Saturday, as the 32-year-old French midfielder looks to revive his career following a doping ban.
Pogba was handed a four-year doping ban in February 2024 after testing positive for DHEA, which boosts testosterone levels. The suspension was cut to 18 months after a successful appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Italian club Juventus announced in November that they had mutually agreed to terminate his contract, which was due to expire in June 2026.
The 2018 World Cup winner had a disappointing second spell with Juventus due to injuries after returning to the Turin-based club following his departure from Manchester United on a free transfer in 2022.
Pogba was signed by United in 2016 for a then-world record fee of 89 million pounds ($122 million) but the four-times Serie A champion won only two trophies with the Premier League club — the League Cup and Europa League in his first season.
He last played for France in 2022 but knee surgery prevented him from appearing at the World Cup in Qatar.
Monaco finished third behind Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain and Olympique de Marseille last season.
-Reuters
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After Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi signed a contract extension with French Ligue 1 side, Paris Saint-Germain, he became the World’s most-paid fullback.
The Moroccan international will earn a staggering €70 million in wages over his new five-year deal, cementing his status as football’s highest-paid defender.
He signed a contract extension with the French champions until 2029. The new deal adds three years to his previous contract, which was set to expire in 2026.
His net salary is increasing from €10 million to €14 million per season (€28 million gross).
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The 2024 Ballon d’Or nominee and Super Eagles winger, Ademola Lookman, is almost certain to leave the Serie A in the coming winter transfer window following interest from Premiership but the biggest interest is from Paris Saint Germaine.
The AFCON 2024 silver medal winner with Nigeria has been on the radar of the London side, West Ham United and three other sides from the league but all is more certain that the London club will find it difficult to compete for the signature of Atalanta star according to Football Insider.
Reports have suggested that the Irons are ready to swoop for the Nigeria international in the January transfer window.
However, sources say there will be “huge interest” from Europe in the 27-year-old ex-Everton star.
Paris Saint-Germain will be the frontrunner for the forward if he becomes available in the coming months.
Additionally, Lookman plays in the same area of the pitch as West Ham’s big-money summer signings Crysencio Summerville and Luis Guilherme.
The London-born has raised his stock with his displays for Atalanta since joining from RB Leipzig in 2022.
He finished 14th in the Ballon d’Or rankings this year after leading the Italian side to a Europa League title last term.
Lookman has already hit five goals and contributed five assists in 10 games across all competitions this term.
The forward, who is under contract until June 2026, hit 17 goals and notched 10 assists in 45 appearances last season.
West Ham are unlikely to have serious funds to spend in the January window after their lavish spending in the off-season.
Julen Lopetegui’s side started slowly and sat 13th in the Premier League after nine games.
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