Why PSG fans showed up at Neymar's house

The soap opera that is Paris Saint-Germain just keeps on going. The French side seem to be in a perpetual state of turmoil, even if they are winning on the pitch.

As soon as they are not winning every game on the pitch, things can get very ugly, very quickly. That is exactly what has been happening this week, with fans turning on Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr, two of the biggest names in world football.

While Messi's issues have been somewhat sudden, there has been a clear rift between PSG fans and Neymar for a very long time. It has come to a head with fans congregating outside of the Brazilian star's home to make their feelings about him very clear.

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Neymar targeted by PSG fans

A video surfaced on Twitter on Wednesday night from the account ParisienTimes and it has since been verified as showing fans outside Neymar's property, chanting at him to leave the club.

A protest was initially called at the club's headquarters but it led to a group breaking away and heading to Neymar's property. Head of the Collectif Ultras Paris (CUP), Romain Mabille, spoke to Le Parisien about the incident and condemned the actions of those involved.

“I don’t support what happened. It’s not a CUP action, the group doesn’t claim responsibility for it, nor is it behind it. It was definitely avoidable. To go to his place, it’s not the best of ideas," Mabille said.

“[Lionel] Messi is going to leave and we just wanted to let Neymar know that it would be good for him to leave too. We don’t want to hurt him, we just want him to carry on his career far away from Paris. We want to move on to a new era. He’s part of a time when players get to do what they want. We want to move on and write a new page with players who show desire.”

According to AFP, PSG have since increased the level of security at both the training ground and at the player's homes as there are heightened fears of potential violence and intimidation.

Why are PSG fans angry with Messi?

Neymar is not the only star that has come under serious scrutiny from PSG fans. Lionel Messi's future has been a heavily discussed topic in recent weeks and it is now clear that he will not be renewing his contract with the French champions.

Tensions between the player and the club have risen recently after Messi was fined and suspended by the club for making an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia.

PSG suspended the forward for two weeks meaning he cannot play or train with the club, and he was also fined two weeks wages. It remains to be seen where he will end up playing, but PSG boss Christophe Galtier has said that he would like Messi to play again after his suspension, according to RMC Sport.

Have PSG won Ligue 1 yet?

Part of the reason why all of this drama away from the pitch is so much more important than usual is that PSG are actually in a bit of a title race, thanks to their own ineptitude.

Having been booted out of the Champions League in the group stage, and also getting knocked out of the Coupe de France, fans at least expect a canter towards another Ligue 1 title. Too many defeats have been littered into their season, though. They have lost five Ligue 1 games in 2023.

Suddenly, Marseille are just five points behind PSG and Lens are only six points behind, with all three teams still having five games left to play. With Neymar injured and Messi suspended, there is a chance that PSG get reeled in, something that would be extremely embarrassing for the club.

Where could Neymar go?

90min reported this week that Newcastle United's majority shareholders PIF are interested in bringing Neymar to the Premier League.

The club's owners are keen to make a 'marquee' signing this summer, and see Neymar as a viable option.

LISTEN NOW

On this edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey & Toby Cudworth discuss the possibility of Neymar joining Newcastle, Jude Bellingham's decision on his future and Lionel Messi leaving PSG.

If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!