Supporters of Ligue 1 club Nantes discovered one of the highest echelons of pettiness that the Earth has ever seen on Wednesday. A band of rowdy supporters berated the team with insults and clown music during training as a means to voice their displeasure with the appointment of former France national team manager Raymond Domenech.
RIO DE JANEIRO — An end-of-year party for 150 people attended by Brazilian soccer star Neymar is drawing scrutiny from local prosecutors, but the town where it is being held said on Wednesday it cannot do anything to prevent the bash from taking place.
As we approach the New Year and the halfway point of domestic seasons, it’s become evident that the resources and depth boasted by Europe’s top clubs should be enough to weather the wildest of campaigns. Bayern Munich and Liverpool are favorites to defend their respective titles, while Real Madrid’s only genuine challenger appears to be Atlético.
For folks fortunate enough to be able to take an extra day or two off around the Christmas holiday, Wednesday provided plenty of soccer for the American sports fan with $5 to spare for an ESPN+ subscription. With beIN Sports providing free Ligue 1 coverage and ESPN+ streaming the Carabao Cup, DFB Pokal and Serie A, it was difficult to figure out which matches to watch.
The past 24 hours have been somber and harrowing for Ligue 1 club FC Lorient after one of the team's groundskeepers was killed in a freak accident on Sunday night.
Following Lorient's 3-0 home defeat to Rennes at the Stade du Moustoir, the grounds crew came out to do their post-game duties. One of those jobs includes tending to the field with a grow light. The contraption emulates sunlight, warms the field and keeps the grass healthy.
Neymar was never out of the headlines while at Barcelona and his departure continues to leave ripples at the Catalan club, so all eyes will be on him when Paris Saint-Germain meet the LaLiga side in the Champions League last 16 early next year.
Due to the scheduling havoc wreaked by COVID-19 and the resulting extension of the 2019-20 season, the summer transfer was extended until Oct. 5, but when does the January transfer window 2021 open? It’s been a wild ride, but some semblance of normality has returned to European football with the January transfer window set to open on Saturday, Jan. 2 and close on Monday, Feb. 1.
Has the January transfer window changed?
Manchester United have been handed a tough draw in the Europa League last 32 knockout stage where they will face current Spanish league leaders Real Sociedad.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær's side finished third in their Champions League group and dropped into the second tier competition after last week's defeat by RB Leipzig. The clash with Sociedad will see United come up against former Manchester City favorite David Silva, now back in his homeland where he has inspired Sociedad to their excellent start to the domestic season.
Lyon handed PSG a 1-0 loss at the Parc des Princes on Sunday to move into second place in Ligue 1 and send the home side down to third, but the result was much more devastating than that — Neymar was stretchered off in injury time after an awful tackle from Thiago Mendes that resulted in a straight red card.