It was an ordinary Saturday for Neymar. The Brazilian superstar was likely in the midst of a killer hangover after his wild “Neymarpalooza” New Year’s Eve bash. All was normal when suddenly a cold shiver ran down his spine. Something was horribly awry.
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.
Reports of Neymar bringing death and destruction to Brazil by way of a 500-person super spreader event lasting for five consecutive days inside a soundproofed dungeon have been greatly exaggerated.
One of the most bizarre sending offs occurred in the Turkish Super Lig on Monday after a player pulled out his phone and tried to show the referee an incorrect decision was made. The player red carded for showing the phone was Hakan Arslan, the captain of Sivasspor.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the “Player of the Century 2001-2020” at the Globe Soccer awards gala in Dubai. Although the decision might seem controversial given the fact that Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or six times over that period compared to five for Ronaldo, (1) the decision is totally in line with the 10-year history of the award show and (2) who cares — we all know they’re both really good.
Over the years, I have found that there is an inverse relationship between a club's place in the footballing pyramid and the likelihood of something absurd happening at a match. Only in non-league football can you have a goalkeeper having a beer with fans while in full uniform or a player threatening a supporter with a knife.
The frantic finish to the 2019-20 season, the rejiggered smorgasbord of the new campaign and nine months of quarantine have combined to create an unceasing storm of football on our televisions. In many ways it’s been a godsend; in many ways it’s been an obscene bit of servility to broadcast dollars. What are these absurdly sterile performances — played out in soulless grounds across the world — if not momentary benediction for the promise of better times ahead?