Mueez Ajao
– Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar took a swipe at the club’s supporters for walking out of the stadium early before they secured the Ligue 1 title on Saturday.
– PSG were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Lens which was enough to seal a 10th league title, but the club’s ultras left the game with 15 minutes remaining instead of celebrating with the players.
– When Neymar was asked about the fans leaving before the end of the game, he told ESPN Argentina: “It was surreal that part of the crowd left the stands. They’re going to get tired of whistling, because I have another three years left on my contract.”
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– Earlier this season, the Brazil international was subjected to jeers from his own supporters alongside teammate Lionel Messi after PSG’s dramatic collapse against Real Madrid in the Champions League round-of-16 tie.
– PSG captain Marquinhos also questioned the decision of the club’s supporters and told Canal Plus: “The atmosphere is a shame. Football is our passion.
– “We’ll try to have as much fun as possible. It’s a shame that won’t be with the supporters, but we have to deal with it.”
– Marco Verratti added: “That’s something I don’t understand. I know that they were disappointed about Madrid, but at some point you have to move on.”
– PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino was less critical of the fan base after he secured the first league title of his managerial career.
– “We are going through a difficult period with the fans and we hope it will get better,” he said. “We’re in a democracy and we accept all protests. But we have to show respect for this title.”
– Kylian Mbappe, who won the fifth Ligue 1 title of his short career, insisted that the supporters who left the stadium were in the minority.
– “I’m not disappointed, if [the ultras] want to celebrate, they can do so; they don’t want to, so they’re not doing so,” he told Canal Plus.
– “The crowd was here, it’s a minority who left. They’re not representative of all of the supporters, but rather a minority. The stadium was full. We celebrated among ourselves in the dressing room; all that was missing was the cup. I’m savouring it.”
