Neymar flies home for surgery
– Paris St Germain striker Neymar will undergo surgery in Brazil this week after he suffered a fractured metatarsal and a sprained ankle, the French club said this week.
“After tests, and with the player’s agreement, it has been decided that surgery is the best option,” PSG said in a statement. “Neymar Jr will be operated on in Brazil at the end of the week.”
The operation means the 26-year-old will miss next week’s Champions League match against Real Madrid.
PSG trail Real 3-1 ahead of the last-16 second-leg game in Paris on March 6.
Neymar’s father predicted the injury would keep his son out for between six to eight weeks, meaning he would return to action in plenty of time for the World Cup finals in Russia.
The five-time World Cup winners kick off their campaign against Switzerland on June 17 and then face Costa Rica and Serbia.
Neymar missed PSG’s 3-0 win over Olympique Marseille in the French Cup on Wednesday night but he later posted a message on Instagram: “Obstacles should not impede you,” he
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino said the controversial Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system had been “embarrassing” after his side came through an incident-packed FA Cup replay against Rochdale at Wembley on Wednesday.
Spurs, who eventually won 6-1 on the back of a second-half hattrick from Fernando Llorente, were twice denied goals, had one penalty claim rejected and another accepted on the word of the VAR during an extraordinary opening period.
There were several occasions when it took the VAR a lengthy amount of time to reach a verdict, while there were others when he appeared to be over-ruling an on-field call that did not involve a clear and obvious error.
Once again, technology was wrote alongside a picture taken moments after he was injured. “If you come up against a wall don’t give up. Find a way to climb it.”
Neymar, who became the world’s most expensive player last August when PSG paid €222 million to sign him from Barcelona, has scored 28 goals and provided 16 assists for the Ligue 1 leaders this season.
In addition to missing PSG’s season-defining match against Real, Neymar will also sit out Brazil’s friendly matches against Russia and Germany this month. – AFP the main talking point of a match where Son Heung-Min put Spurs ahead only for Stephen Humphrys to equalise before Rochdale, bottom of third-tier League One, hit the post through Andy Cannon.
Llorente’s treble put the result beyond doubt, with Son scoring a second and substitute Kyle Walker-Peters his first for Spurs at senior level deep into stoppage time.
Pochettino’s joy at seeing Spurs set up a quarterfinal with Swansea was tempered by his concern about the impact on the game of VAR.
“The first half was a little bit embarrassing for everyone,” he said. “I’m not sure that system is going to help. Football is about emotion but if we are going to kill emotion then people who love football will not be happy.”
There have been suggestions VAR could be deployed at this year’s World Cup in Russia but Pochettino insisted: “I think football is about to make a mistake. Referees can make a mistake. When we watched the action at half-time it was difficult to take some decisions.
“The referee has the last word, always. And my worry is now we are talking about a machine and not football.”
Spurs thought they had taken an early lead thanks to Erik Lamela’s close-range finish.
But referee Paul Tierney, after consulting VAR Graham Scott, ruled it out for what appeared to be the slightest of contacts by Spanish striker Llorente on Harrison McGahey in the build-up.
Tierney consulted the VAR again to deny Lucas Moura a penalty but Spurs did take the lead soon afterwards when Son slotted home in the 23rd minute.
With Harry Kane on the bench, Son was Spurs’ designated penalty-taker.
He got a chance from the spot when, after another lengthy VAR consultation, Tottenham were awarded a penalty for a foul by Matt Done on Kieran Trippier.
Son then put the penalty into the back of the net only for Tierney to disallow the effort because Son had stopped in his run-up. Inevitably in such a match, the eventual decision was preceded by yet more prolonged involvement of the VAR. – AFP