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Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
From being accused of treating their own player like a 'prisoner' to a female star investigated about an ATTACK on a rival team-mate: How PSG are aiming to put a string of controversies behind them to win the Champions League
Paris Saint-Germain coasted past three English clubs to reach the Champions League final and are enjoying a season of bliss. But you'd be a fool to think serenity is the norm at one of the continent's most notorious clubs, with a history marred by a toxic ultra culture and legal wrangles. PSG are doing well to shed that image and become France's family club, but that does not erase what passed before: hooligans stalking the streets, buses being set on fire, ultras turning viciously on players. Leading the club is the driven but explosive president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who was cleared of allegations he threatened to 'kill' a Real Madrid staff member in a heated clash and was accused earlier this season of being a 'bully' and a 'tyrant' by Lyon owner John Textor. Nowadays the club is praised for fostering a community culture which has won them admirers across France, but this era of relative peace should not be taken for granted. Without further ado, let's dive into some of their past controversies and scandals. Adrien Rabiot's 'prison' exile To kick us off, in a far cry from PSG's replenished family image, we're going back to 2019 when Adrien Rabiot's mother span a foreboding yarn about the club's culture. 'Adrien is a prisoner,' Veronique told L'Equipe. 'He's even a hostage to PSG. Soon it's dry bread, water and dungeon! This environment is cruel… A footballer is made to play, not to stay in the closet.' Scandalous claims? Yes. Strictly true? Probably not. But it is fair to say Rabiot became a persona non grata since reportedly refusing to renew his PSG deal in January 2019. He was fined for being six minutes late for a team meeting because of a nap - though his mother noted that an injured Neymar was allowed to party at Rio Carnival. The midfielder was fined after failing to meet up with his team-mates for a winter training camp in Qatar, but that was down to family tragedy - his grandmother had died. To cap it all off, Rabiot was banished from the training ground for nightclubbing after Manchester United dumped them out of the Champions League - and liking Patrice Evra's celebratory post. A unified team at this stage, then? Not quite. Exile was the order. Robberies, 'violent buglaries', and 'curb-crawling' So, these ones were out of PSG's control, but they didn't exactly embellish the reputation of the club and city as a desirable destination. In March 2021, Angel Di Maria and Marquinhos suffered a fate most people dread - their homes, or those of family members, were burgled. Di Maria was mysteriously substituted off in a game against Nantes and it later emerged that there had been a 'violent burglary' at his home in the affluent Neuilly-sur-Seine suburb, with around £420,000 worth of items taken. RMC claimed some of his family members had been there and held hostage. The French outlet also shared that the home of defender Marquinhos' parents had been robbed. With team-mates left 'shocked,' PSG acted quickly to reassure them by equipping them with complementary 24-hour security at their homes. Great work, but the criminals adapted. If we can't ransack their homes, why not just rob them in public, they thought? That was the unfortunate fate of Ander Herrera, who in October that year was reportedly divested of his wallet and phone by a prostitute in his car. In his camp's version of events: 'To get home, he went through the Bois de Boulogne, and at a traffic light, someone got into his car and took the phone and wallet that were in view.' Herrera was ordered to drive to a specific location to drop her off, at which point he did get his phone back - though he did find himself €200 (£167) out of pocket. Angel Di Maria's wife Jorgelina Cardoso and his two young daughters were reportedly caught up in a 'violent burglary' at their home - while he was playing! Player arrested for aggravated violence - towards a TEAM-MATE This is potentially one of the wildest football stories ever told. In November 2021, two masked men intercepted a car containing PSG women's stars Kheira Hamraoui and Aminata Diallo, the driver. The men dragged Hamraoui out of the car, beat her legs with an iron bar, and left her with large bruises and needing stitches. Diallo was unharmed. A few days later, Diallo was arrested on suspicion of organising the attack. Diallo and Hamraoui, both central midfielders, were in direct competition for the same place in both the PSG and French national team. Could it be that Diallo's ambitions had led her to... this? The story spread like wildfire, but Diallo was released without charge. Still, police reportedly bugged her phone and Crime Prevention Brigade of the judicial police of Versailles claimed they had found searches for 'dangerous drug cocktail' and 'how to break a kneecap'. Then, in September 2022, Diallo was placed in pre-trial detention charged with aggravated violence and criminal association. She was subsequently released under strict judicial supervision, then granted modified bail condition, which allowed her to play abroad. The case has never gone to trial. Diallo has always denied any allegations made towards her. In February this year, French prosecutors told AFP they had concluded their investigation. Her lawyer Mourad Battikh said: 'The judicial investigation ends as it began: without any element to demonstrate the involvement or more broadly the guilt of Aminata Diallo in this case.' You can read more about the controversial episode here. Hamraoui was attacked by masked men with an iron bar after being dragged from Diallo's car, while her team-mate was untouched Turning on their own stars: Lionel Messi, Neymar, Layvin Kurzawa PSG's fans have often behaved ferociously towards their own players - not that they're entirely unique in that. Every club has its more... passionate sections of the fanbase. Left-back Layvin Kurzawa learned that lesson the hard way in March 2022 when he was confronted by fuming supporters, who forced open his car door to remonstrate with him outside the training ground. The grievants were livid that the club had been knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid, but they were directing their ire at the wrong man. Kurzawa had not featured in the tie and had only played nine minutes all season. Lionel Messi and Neymar had it worse for daring to leave in 2023. After catching whiff of reports that Messi was headed for the exit, a throng gathered outside the training ground to chant, 'Messi, son of a b****.' Not that they had a leg to stand on - only a year before, they had graffitied 'Messi out' on the walls after their Champions League devastation. Neymar's silky feet weren't exempt from bitterness, either. He gave six years of service to PSG, but in the May before he left, a crowd assembled outside his home to chant 'Neymar, get lost!' No wonder he ended up in Saudi Arabia. Even their prospective players have felt the fans' wrath. When PSG were linked to Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic in the summer of 2023, ultras held up a banner outside the Parc des Princes which read: 'If you come, we will cut off your three fingers.' Marca claimed that the message is in response to the three fingers Vlahovic showed after a game with Serbia. This is said to refer to 'Serbian supremacy over Kosovo' and 'could also mean a greeting made by a Serbian guerrilla of unification'. Needless to say, Vlahovic didn't sign. But Lucas Hernandez did that same summer, despite being warned he was 'not welcome' due to the fact his father Jean-Francois had played for Marseille in the 1990s, plus how he had beaten them with Bayern Munich in the 2020 Champions League final. PSG ultras displayed a threatening message saying they will 'cut off' three of Dusan Vlahovic's fingers if he signed for them A feisty president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has become one of the most polarising figures in football: for some a visionary and relentless operator, for others a 'plutocrat' with his fingers in too many pies. Not many reach the top of football without a hard edge. Al-Khelaifi, the bulldozer behind PSG since 2011, has one by many accounts. We're back at that 3-1 defeat by Real Madrid in 2022, PSG reeling in frustration after throwing away their Champions League progression, and Al-Khelaifi is seething. The Qatari was said to have stormed through the corridors at the Bernabeu post-match, shouting and searching for referee Danny Makkelie, as per Marca. The incident was described as 'frankly unpleasant' by reporter Monica Marchante, according to El Partidazo de COPE. An excerpt of the referees' report shared by L'Equipe read: 'The president and technical director of PSG behaved aggressively and tried to enter the referees' dressing room. When the referee asked them to leave, they blocked the door and the president deliberately hit the flag of one of the assistant.' The PSG president, along with sporting director Leonardo reportedly ended up storming another room and coming face to face with Real Madrid delegate, Mejia Devila. According to Diario AS, a Madrid employee recorded the incident with his mobile, Al Khelaifi noticed it and hit his phone threatening: 'I'm going to kill you.' However, he is paying for all the tickets and travel for the club's staff for this year's final UEFA investigated and cleared Al-Khelaifi, a member of their executive committee. They banned Leonardo for one game. Furthermore, this season, Crystal Palace and Lyon owner John Textor accused Al-Khelaifi of being a 'bully' and a 'tyrant' in a discussion between Ligue 1 chiefs over TV rights. In a leaked video seen by L'Equipe and Complement d'enquete, Al-Khelaifi snapped back: 'John, stop talking, you don't understand anything, you're from… I don't know, cowboy, you're coming, I don't know (from) where, and you're talking to us.' However, he also has a generous side. He recently wrote to all 600 of the club's staff members telling they that they will receive free tickets and travel arrangements for the Champions League final. 'We are proud to be one family - the Paris Saint-Germain family - proudly representing Paris and France on the biggest stage,' he wrote. Fan trouble Unfortunately, football hooliganism is still rife in England and on the continent - it's in no way exclusive to PSG. In their two clashes with Newcastle in 2023, the Parisian fans went hunting for trouble. Chilling images from the French capital showed a mass of black-clad ultras roaming the streets looking to root out Toon fans. Eventually they happened across the Newcastle supporters at a cafe, and proceeded to attack: glasses were smashed, windows were broken, chairs were thrown, and there were also reports of a flare being chucked. Earlier this month, PSG fans were reportedly teargassed in a clash with riot police as tensions flared ahead of their semi-final second leg against Arsenal. And then there's the notorious incident of two buses being set on fire in clashes between PSG and Lyon fans ahead of the French Cup final last year. Clashes broke out on the motorway as fans made their way to the match at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille. Footage on social media showed two buses on fire by a motorway toll tooth at Fresnes-les-Montauban, near Arras, in northern France. Videos showed supporters surrounding buses, with flares thrown and windows reportedly being smashed. Two buses were set on fire as Lyon and PSG supporters clashed ahead of the French Cup final last year Footage on social media saw supporters surrounding buses carrying rival fans A large group of hooded PSG fans went 'looking for' Newcastle supporters in the French city Newcastle United fans appeared to be targeted by PSG ultras in Paris in 2023 The clashes reportedly involved 100 Lyon supporters and 200 PSG fans, according to police sources, as reported by AFP.
BBC News
17-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Olympique Marseille v Rennes
Goal! Goal! Marseille 4, Rennes 2. Adrien Rabiot (Marseille) left footed shot from the left side of the six yard box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Amine Harit with a through ball.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Marseille shirt burned and Adrien Rabiot's mother insulted in PSG fans' celebrations
According to a report from La Provence, some Paris Saint-Germain supporters' celebrations got out of hand following the club's qualification to the UEFA Champions League final yesterday evening. The Marseille-based outlet writes that several shops were looted while there were clashes with police. There was also an unfortunate report of a car driving into a crowd, injuring three people, with one having to be taken for emergency medical care. A video was released on X (formerly known as Twitter) showing an Olympique de Marseille shirt being burned while a group of supporters chanted about Adrien Rabiot (30), his mother, and also the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo. Advertisement Previously, Rabiot and his mother were insulted by PSG supporters during Le Classique in March. The France international has become a target for PSG fans following his acrimonious departure from his boyhood club in 2019 and his return to France this season to play for arch-rivals Marseille, while Hidalgo has been at the centre of a dispute with the club over the future of the Parc des Princes. GFFN | Nick Hartland
USA Today
07-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
How to Watch Le Havre AC vs. Olympique Marseille: Live Stream, TV Channel, Start Time
How to Watch Le Havre AC vs. Olympique Marseille: Live Stream, TV Channel, Start Time | 5/10/2025 Two teams at opposite ends of the table in Ligue 1, Olympique Marseille (second) and Le Havre AC (16th), meet at 3:00 PM ET on Saturday. The match will stream on Fubo. Olympique Marseille's last game was a 1-1 draw away from home against Lille OSC, taking 12 shots and outshooting Lille by seven. Le Havre AC claimed a 2-1 road victory against AJ Auxerre in its last match on May 4, outshooting AJ Auxerre 13 to three. How to watch Le Havre AC vs. Olympique Marseille When: Saturday, May 10, 2025 at 3:00 PM ET Saturday, May 10, 2025 at 3:00 PM ET Where: Stade Oceane in Le Havre, France Stade Oceane in Le Havre, France Live Stream: Fubo Watch live sports and more without cable on FuboTV. Click here for a free trial. Olympique Marseille key players Mason Greenwood has 19 goals and four assists, a key contributor for Olympique Marseille. Adrien Rabiot has seven goals and five assists. Luis Henrique has added seven goals and five assists. Amine Gouiri has added eight goals and three assists. Le Havre AC key players Issa Soumare has four goals and three assists, a key contributor for Le Havre AC. Josue Casimir has three goals and two assists. With four goals and one assist, Andre Ayew is chipping in for Le Havre AC as well. Ahmed Hassan has added three goals and one assist. To watch live sports and more without cable, head to FuboTV. Click here for a free trial. Olympique Marseille vs. Le Havre AC match breakdown
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Marseille, Strasbourg win in Ligue 1 to close in on Champions League
Marseille rose to second in Ligue 1 with a 3-2 win against Toulouse on Sunday, while Strasbourg moved into the Champions League spots following a narrow win at Reims. Superb second-half goals at the Velodrome from Mason Greenwood and Adrien Rabiot lifted Marseille above Monaco, but Roberto De Zerbi's side can no longer dream of catching leaders Paris Saint-Germain who wrapped up the Ligue 1 title on Saturday. A Gabriel Suazo own-goal put the hosts ahead midway through the first half. Frank Magri headed an equaliser shortly afterwards. Vincent Sierro scored inside the final 15 minutes to give Toulouse hope but Marseille clung on to win. Former Manchester United forward Greenwood put Marseille on the path to victory with an unstoppable right-footed drive on 57 minutes. France international Rabiot then scored what proved to be the decider seven minutes later with a fierce volley from inside the box. Earlier, Strasbourg won 1-0 at Reims' Stade Auguste-Delaune to claim fourth spot. A top-four finish for Liam Rosenior's young Strasbourg side would secure them Champions League football for the first time since 1980. "I have confidence in this squad, they're showing great things," said Rosenior. "Since the start of the season, we haven't set any limits for them. They'll keep pushing until the end." Ismael Doucoure's early strike was enough to earn Strasbourg a vital victory at Reims and bring them up to 49 points -- one behind third-placed Monaco. A top-three finish will ensure direct qualification for the tournament, while the side in fourth will play a qualifying round to reach the league phase. Two points separate Strasbourg and seventh-placed Lille, with French giants Lyon and Nice in between. Doucoure was left on his own inside the six-yard box to stroke home from Sebastian Nanasi's corner in the fourth minute. Reims thought they were level on 20 minutes, but Junya Ito's strike was ruled out for a handball by the Japanese forward. Prior to touching Ito's hand, the ball was handled by Strasbourg's Mamadou Sarr, however, after a VAR review no penalty was awarded by referee Clement Turpin. Both sides finished down to 10 men following a scuffle deep into injury time. The clean sheet extended Strasbourg goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic's impressive record of having conceded only eight league goals since early December. Defeat for Reims meant Samba Diawara's side slipped to 16th place -- the relegation play-off spot. Elsewhere, Le Havre escaped the relegation play-off place at the expense of Reims with a 2-0 win away to bottom-of-the-table Montpellier. Yassine Kechta opened the scoring on three minutes, before Abdoulaye Toure made sure of the three points half-an-hour later. Saint-Etienne remain mired in the direct relegation zone following a 1-0 loss to Lens. Rennes lost 1-0 at home to Auxerre following an 89th-minute winner by Jubal. bur-nf/nr/pb
