Neymar told 'go away' as PSG fans see Mbappe and Cavani start season in style


Ian Oxborrow
  • English
  • Arabic

Paris Saint-Germain fans made their feelings towards Brazilian star Neymar known during their opening league fixture of the season.

PSG ran out 3-0 winners against Nimes in what was a rudimentary victory for the French league champions, but much of the attention was on Neymar, who was absent from the match.

What is the situation with Neymar now?

For a start, PSG fans won't be too unhappy to see the back of him. They held up banners at the Parc des Princes during the match making it clear that his time at the club is up as far as they are concerned.

He missed Brazil's Copa America campaign during the summer through injury and the reported back to training late with PSG, although his camp claim that was a misunderstanding.

Having left him out of the squad for the Nimes fixture on Sunday, coach Thomas Tuchel told Canal+ he had "no news" on Neymar's future and that he would have to "find solutions without" him.

However, PSG sporting director Leonardo said before the match that Neymar's exit was "more advanced than before".

Where will Neymar go if he leaves PSG?

It's no big secret that he fancies a return to Barcelona, however Spanish media are reporting that he has been offered to Real Madrid.

Both clubs have spent heavily already this summer, with Barcelona bringing in Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid, and Real signing the likes of Eden Hazard and Luka Jovic.

Real have been heavily linked all summer with midfielders Paul Pogba and Christian Eriksen but both were involved with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur respectively during the opening weekend of the English Premier League.

The world's most expensive player cost PSG €222 million (Dh913m) in 2017 and has gone on to score 51 goals in 58 games, winning five trophies in two seasons, although PSG haven't come close to claiming the biggest prize during that time - the Champions League.

The Spanish transfer window closes on Monday, September 2. The French league window closes on the same day.

How did PSG's opening league fixture pan out?

They had a helping hand from VAR in the first half as handball decision went their way after a two-minute delay. Edinson Cavani put them ahead from the penalty spot.

PSG showed few signs of struggling in Neymar's absence as Kylian Mbappe put them 2-0 ahead in the second half before the young Frenchman set up a third for Angel Di Maria.

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COMPANY PROFILE

Company name: Letstango.com

Started: June 2013

Founder: Alex Tchablakian

Based: Dubai

Industry: e-commerce

Initial investment: Dh10 million

Investors: Self-funded

Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month

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Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

PROFILE OF INVYGO

Started: 2018

Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo

Based: Dubai

Sector: Transport

Size: 9 employees

Investment: $1,275,000

Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri

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Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE

Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:

• Buy second hand stuff

 They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.

• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres

 Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.

• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.

Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.

• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home

Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Director:Michael Lehmann

Stars:Kristen Bell

Rating: 1/5

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Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
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Tewellah by Nawal Zoghbi is out now.

MATCH INFO

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Carla Bruni

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The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder

Transmission: CVT auto

Power: 181bhp

Torque: 244Nm

Price: Dh122,900 

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