French Clubs

Nike Inc said on Thursday it ended its partnership with Brazilian soccer star Neymar last year because he refused to cooperate in an investigation into sexual assault allegations leveled against him by a Nike employee.

Neymar, who currently plays for Paris St. Germain, denies the allegations, his spokeswoman said in a statement.

The world's largest sportswear maker said in a statement it viewed the allegations about an incident in 2016 as "credible" but also said an independent investigation it commissioned was inconclusive.

PARIS — Lille clinched their first Ligue 1 title since 2011 as they beat Angers 2-1 away on Sunday, becoming only the second club since 2013 to break Paris St. Germain's dominance.

A goal by Jonathan David and a Burak Yilmaz penalty put Christophe Galtier's side on 83 points, one ahead of defending champions PSG, who had won seven of the eight previous titles and snatched a 2-0 win at Stade Brest.

Paris Saint-Germain knocked off Monaco 2-0 in the Coupe de France final to claim its second trophy this season. Kylian Mbappé was the star of the show, recording a goal, an assist, showcasing flashy skill moves and being responsible for breaking commentator Ray Hudson. 

It was clear from the jump that the French Cup final was going to be special with a remote-controlled car delivering the game ball.

The Covid-19 pandemic had many sporting casualties in 2020. While nothing compares to the immense (and ongoing) loss of life, U.S. soccer fans were denied the opportunity to pay NFL-level prices to watch preseason friendlies between indifferent European clubs in the International Champions Cup. Similarly, the less-promoted but far-more-interesting Women’s International Champions Cup was canceled in 2020. 

PARIS - Brazil forward Neymar has signed a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain that will keep him in the French capital until 2025, the Ligue 1 club said on Saturday.

The 29-year-old Neymar, who joined PSG in 2017 from Spanish club Barcelona for a record transfer fee of $270 million, has agreed a deal French media reported will earn him an annual salary of $36.50 million.

Neymar said he wanted to leave PSG in 2019 amid media reports he was keen on returning to Barcelona, but he stayed in Paris and helped PSG reach the Champions League final last season.

The average value of the world's 50 leading sports teams rose to $3.43 billion in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an annual list published by Forbes on Friday that was topped by the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.

Forbes said the average value of the world's 50 most valuable teams on the list was up 11 percent from last year's ranking.

The three teams that remain involved in the breakaway Super League operation, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus, face sanctions from UEFA, who have reached an agreement with the nine other clubs.

European soccer's governing body said on Friday the nine clubs who backed out of the plan had signed a ‘Club Commitment Declaration’ including a series of "reintegration" steps.