Barcelona Terminates Neymar's Contract, Accepts PSG's $263.6M Payment
Neymar "is no longer a Barcelona player" after the club accepted a payment of €222M ($263.6M) that activates the Brazilian's buyout clause, "clearing the way for a world-record move" to Paris St. Germain, according to Samuel Marsden of ESPN.com. The deal "had stalled earlier" on Thursday when La Liga "rejected the payment" from the Brazil int'l's legal team, forcing it to travel to Barcelona to "make the payment directly to the club." Sources said that Neymar "is now expected to arrive in the French capital on Thursday night to put pen to paper" on a five-year deal with PSG worth €30M ($35.6M) annually after tax. A presentation is planned for Friday, and the source said that "it is possible he could debut in PSG's Ligue 1 opener at home against Amiens on Saturday." However, "despite the transfer saga drawing to an end," it is unlikely to "completely disappear," with Barcelona saying it will send the details to UEFA to "ensure the French club" is adhering to Financial Fair Play (ESPN.com, 8/3). Marsden also reported sports lawyer Juan de Dios Crespo "was turned away" when he arrived at La Liga's offices in Madrid on Thursday with a check for the full amount. La Liga said, "We can confirm that the legal representatives of the player [Neymar] came to La Liga to deposit the clause and that it has been rejected." The French Professional Football League (LFP) criticized La Liga's "stance on the issue" in a statement. The LFP said, "The LFP expresses surprise and doesn't understand La Liga's refusal to simply accept the buyout clause of the player Neymar. The LFP asks La Liga to adhere to FIFA rules." UEFA said in a statement on Thursday that it "has not received complaints from anyone regarding this matter." The European body said that it was "impossible to judge the deal in isolation" and that PSG's business over a three-year period -- "including sales that could happen this summer -- must be taken into account." UEFA said in the statement, "The transfer of Neymar to PSG will have an effect on the club's finances over several years, but the impact of such an operation cannot be judged in advance -- notably as PSG could well sell several players for a significant amount. We shall therefore only make calculations at the end and make sure that they respect the rules." The earliest PSG would be audited for FFP would be during the '18-19 season, "and any sanction would only take effect" in '19-20 (ESPN.com, 8/3).
'DIFFICULT TO RESPECT': The BBC's Matt Davis reported Arsenal Manager Arsène Wenger criticized the deal, saying, "Once a country owns a club everything is possible and it becomes difficult to respect Financial Fair Play" (BBC, 8/3). The BBC reported Liverpool Manager Jürgen Klopp said, "I thought Fair Play was made so that situations like that can't happen. That's more of a suggestion than a real rule." PSG "fell foul of the FFP rules" in '14 when UEFA ruled that a £167M commercial contract with the Qatar Tourism Authority was "unfairly generous -- effectively, the governing body ruled that Qatar had been using the contract to bypass the FFP rules." The club was given a £20M fine, its spending was capped at £49M and it competed in the '14-15 Champions League with 21 players in its squad "instead of the usual 25" (BBC, 8/3). ESPN.com's Rob Dawson reported ManU Manager José Mourinho said that the fee, twice what his club paid for Paul Pogba, is "not expensive," but the "consequences" could be. Mourinho: "When we paid that amount for Paul I [said] that he was not expensive. Expensive are the ones that get into a certain level with a certain quality, I think Neymar is going to happen the same, I don't think he's expensive. I think he's expensive now because you are going to have more players of £100 million ($131.4M) and £80M ($105.1M) and £60M ($78.8M)" (ESPN.com, 8/3).
MINOR DELAY?: The AFP's Kieran Canning reported in Paris, there is "huge excitement at PSG's Qatari-backed project landing a star name." Le Parisien's front page said, "Neymar to PSG -- the transfer of the century." The publication's first five pages were "devoted to his impending arrival." French President Emmanuel Macron "added to the anticipation," saying the move was "good news." There is skepticism in Spain at the role played by PSG's owner, Qatar Sports Investments, at a time of "political crisis for the energy-rich state" which has been boycotted by its Gulf neighbors in recent months. Madrid-based newspaper El Mundo described the move as a "state signing." Wenger: "It's beyond calculation and beyond rationality" (AFP, 8/3).
WARM WELCOME: REUTERS' Brian Love reported the French taxman "is delighted about the prospect" of Neymar joining PSG, the minister in charge of France's public accounts, Gerald Darmanin, said on Thursday. French newspaper Le Figaro "took a stab at estimating the possible tax and social security payments Neymar's salary could net the state," coming up with a figure of €37.5M ($44.5M) a year. Darmanin: "The minister of public accounts is delighted by the extra tax income Neymar will pay in France if he joins a French club. It's better that this footballer pays his tax here instead of elsewhere." Asked whether "the special legal structures were likely to lower Neymar's tax exposure in France," where the top rate of income tax is 45%, Darmanin said, "Don't worry, the country's interests, and its financial interests in particular, will be well taken care of" (REUTERS, 8/3). LE MONDE reported French Football Federation Exec Committee member and Olympique Lyonnais Owner Jean-Michel Aulas congratulated PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi through Twitter "for the achievement of this unique operation." He added that he is "very impatient to know the real cost of the operation." Aulas: "Even if the arrival of Neymar raises questions of the real costs, we all congratulate PSG and Nasser. It is immense for the notoriety of Ligue 1" (LE MONDE, 8/3).
'SOUND INVESTMENT': The AP's Harris & Schreck reported if Neymar's transfer is cleared, "it will be a coup for the French club -- and the tiny energy-rich emirate of Qatar." Qatar "would be projecting a business-as-usual image to foreign allies and investors after two months locked in a bitter diplomatic dispute with its neighbors." While a "footnote in monetary terms" in Qatar's wider investment portfolio, the "immensely wealthy" 2022 World Cup host nation "has long used sports as a way to elevate its stature." Signing "one of the most recognizable and marketable figures in the sports world would be an extravagant demonstration of that." Christopher Davidson, who teaches Middle East politics at Durham University in northeast England, said, "They are trying to literally score a point here. It sounds like a lot of money but given the stakes are hundreds of billions of dollars because of the World Cup, Neymar will be seen as a sound investment by Qatar. It proves they have the funds available and they have some liquidity to still be taken seriously" (AP, 8/2). In Madrid, Silvia Ayuso reported PSG "has reportedly already requested permission to present Neymar in the center of Paris, with the Eiffel Tower in the background, as it did with Zlatan Ibrahimović in '12" (EL PAÍS, 8/3).
