Neymar tells teammates ‘he is leaving’

Neymar’s potential world record move to Paris Saint-Germain moved a step closer on Wednesday as the Brazilian informed his Barcelona teammates he is leaving the club, a Barca spokesperson told AFP.
“The player came to train as scheduled and announced to his teammates that he is leaving,” said the source.
“The coach has given him permission to not train and to manage resolving his future.”
Speculation over the 25-year-old’s future has dominated the first few weeks of new Barca boss Ernesto Valverde’s reign with PSG reportedly willing to pay Neymar’s 222 million euro ($260 million) buyout clause.
Such a fee would smash the current record £89.3 million ($111 million, 105.2 million euros) Manchester United paid for Paul Pogba last year.
Neymar arrived back in Barcelona on Tuesday from a fleeting promotional tour to China after playing in all three of Barca’s glamour pre-season fixtures in the United States against Juventus, Manchester United and Real Madrid.
He arrived for training at 9am local time (0700GMT), but left left less than an hour later.
Presuming both clubs don’t come to a late agreement, the buyout clause would have to be paid to Barcelona via Spain’s La Liga to free the player from the contract he signed last year and runs until 2021.
However, La Liga president Javier Tebas has threatened not to accept PSG’s money over what he perceives as a failure on the French side’s part to comply with UEFA’s financial fair play rules (FFP).
“We will not accept this money from a club like PSG,” Tebas told Madrid sports daily AS on Wednesday.
“Especially when this club is infringing rules and laws.”
Barcelona have also threatened to report PSG to UEFA over any potential breach of FFP.
Clubs can be sanctioned by UEFA for making a loss of more than 30 million euros over a three-year period.
PSG have already been fined and saw their Champions League squad limited by UEFA for breaches of FFP in 2014.

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Lankans to tour India this year

India will host Sri Lanka for a full series later this year, with the cricket board adding nearly two dozen matches to the tail-end of a packed home schedule for Virat Kohli’s team.
India will now host Australia, New Zealand and SriLanka back-to-back at venues across the country between September-December.
Australia, who went down 2-1 to hosts India in the Test series earlier this year, will return for five one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches.
India will then welcome New Zealand for three ODIs and three T20 matches, followed by Sri Lanka for a return series with three Tests, three ODIs and three T20s.
India are currently touring Sri Lanka. The two sides meet Thursday for the second of three Tests after the hosts were thrashed in the first, and they then play five ODIs and one T20.
Sri Lanka had previously been expected to tour India next March. But the Board of Control for Cricket in India adjusted the schedule because the island is hosting the Independence Cup over that period.
“Sri Lanka has always co-operated with India and therefore India will be making a reciprocal short visit only to play the Independence Cup,” BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary told reporters on Tuesday.
“Another reason being there are six proposed exchange of tours between India and Pakistan which did not happen, so those spaces had to be adjusted.”
India are slated to tour South Africa for a full series after completing their matches against Sri Lanka.
Schedule:
Australia: 5 ODIs in Chennai, Bangalore, Nagpur, Indore, Kolkata; 3 T20Is in Hyderabad, Ranchi, Guwahati
New Zealand: 3 ODIs in Pune, Mumbai, Kanpur; 3 T20Is in Delhi, Cuttack, Rajkot
Sri Lanka: 3 Tests in Kolkata, Nagpur, Delhi; 3 ODIs in Dharamsala, Mohali, Vizag; 3 T20Is in Kochi/Thiruvananthapuram, Indore, Mumbai

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Neymar in Dubai, but where next?

Brazil’s Neymar triggered a guessing game on his return from China on Tuesday, posting a video on social media apparently from Dubai but leaving his final destination-Paris or Barcelona-a mystery.

As speculation mounts of an imminent record-busting transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar’s video appeared to be from the first class lounge at Dubai airport.

The 25-year-old forward, who was in Shanghai on Monday fulfilling a sponsor’s engagement, also posted a photo with the caption in Portuguese: “Lunch at half-way”.

In another video posted from an aeroplane, Neymar jokes around with an image messaging app that superimposed a Spanish flag and a small plane on his tee-shirt-suggesting he is indeed headed home to Barcelona.

The decor in that video was identifiable as from an Emirates aeroplane.

Earlier reports claimed that he was headed from China to Doha, to meet PSG’s Qatari owners and pass a medical before his reported 222-million-euro ($260 million) move from Barca.

But his being on an Emirates plane rules out Doha as a possible destination given the diplomatic crisis between Qatar and its Gulf neighbours.

Other reports had said the Barcelona forward could be headed directly to Paris after deciding to quit the Spanish club.

BeIN Sport, like PSG backed by Qatar, said in a tweet in Arabic on Monday that Neymar had decided to leave the Catalan club, citing a club management source at Barcelona.

However, following his latest social media postings, some Spanish media were reporting that Neymar is headed home to Barcelona and is expected to arrive on a flight from Dubai at 8.55pm (1855 GMT).

While Neymar has studiously remained silent about his future, Barca coach Ernesto Valverde is expecting him back at the club on Wednesday for the resumption of training, although Spanish sports media claim he won’t turn up.

Nasty surprise -

Neymar, though, has a nasty surprise awaiting him upon his return as Barcelona have blocked payment of a 26-million-euro ($31-million) bonus he is due, a source at the club said.

“These 26 million euros have been placed with a notary pending to see if the player continues,” the source, who refused to be named, told AFP.

The renewal bonus was agreed on a year ago when Neymar extended his contract with Barcelona until 2021, and was due to be paid to the player after he completed a year.

But the club has decided to put it on hold while waiting to see how his transfer situation evolves.

The contract Neymar signed also increased an early termination clause from 200 to 222 million euros, which PSG are reportedly willing to pay.

Neymar first made his name at Santos, the former club of Brazil legend Pele, with whom he won the Copa Libertadores and Brazilian Cup.

A big-money move to Barca followed in 2013 as 56,000 fans turned up for his official unveiling at the Camp Nou.

In his four years with the Catalans he has won the Champions League in 2015, La Liga twice, the Spanish Cup three times and one FIFA Club World Cup.

Last year he also helped Brazil on home soil win the Olympic title for the first time.

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No tour without new deal: Smith

Australia captain Steve Smith said he was upbeat that a bitter pay war between players and management could be nearly over -- but warned the team wouldn't go ahead with this month's tour of Bangladesh until a new deal is signed.

Some 230 Australian cricketers have been unemployed since the end of June when their contracts expired, in a row that has rattled the game and left their relationship with the governing body badly strained.

But after months of bad-tempered negotiations over a new pay deal -- and a player boycott of an Australia A tour to South Africa -- the end appears to be in sight.

"A deal hasn't been done just yet," Smith told Fox Sports Australia late Tuesday. "There's still a few things that need to be finalised, some key elements.

"They've been making some really good progress and hopefully they'll continue to make progress."

A resolution would give certainty not just to the Bangladesh trip, but a one-day tour to India in September and October ahead of the showpiece home Ashes series against England, beginning in November.

But Smith said a deal would have to be struck before Australia board the flight for Dhaka on August 18.

"I told Pat Howard personally this was how things were going to be," he said, referring to Cricket Australia's team performance manager.

"I'd like to (tour Bangladesh), but as we've said for a long time we need to get a deal done first."

CA chief James Sutherland warned last week that unless the drawn-out negotiations over a revenue-sharing deal produced a compromise by early this week, he would take the matter to arbitration and let the industrial umpire resolve it.

This sparked new urgency to strike a deal, with talks continuing over the weekend.

Players have been paid from gross revenue for the past two decades, but CA wants their pay to come from a set pool instead, with only surplus revenue shared.

The Australian newspaper reported Wednesday that barring last-minute stumbling blocks, the players would largely retain the previous model, which they have insisted is non-negotiable.

But even if the disagreement is resolved, former captain Michael Clarke said on Sunday he feared things would never be the same between CA and the players.

Vice-captain David Warner has been particularly outspoken in the push to keep the 20-year revenue-sharing arrangement. But Smith insisted the batsman had nothing to fear regarding potential retribution from Howard and Sutherland.

"No, I think he'll be okay," Smith said. "Obviously he's been very vocal and he's supported the Australian Cricketers' Association through this whole thing and he's been great."

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'Intense' Real tie awaits MLS stars

Veteran goalkeeper Tim Howard says top North American club players should expect "cut-throat" competition from Spanish giants Real Madrid in Wednesday's Major League Soccer All-Star Game.

The All-Star match at Soldier Field, home of the NFL's Chicago Bears, marks the end of a four-match, 11-day pre-season US tour for Real Madrid that included a 3-2 loss to rival Barcelona in a Clasico matchup at Miami.

But Howard expects Real Madrid to bring their best as they prepare for the upcoming La Liga campaign.

"When you get to play for a team like Real Madrid, there's no days off," Howard said. "There are no easy games. They have a world-class coach that they are trying to impress.

"They have got to play well to earn a spot coming up for the La Liga season. World football is intense and it's cut-throat. There aren't any days when guys just take it easy. When you put your jersey on and cross the line -- whether it's a tournament, a regular-season game, a pre-season game, an All-Star Game -- these guys are going to be up for it."

Colorado Rapids goalkeeper Howard will start in goal for Chicago Fire coach Veljiko Paunovic in the mid-season exhibition.

In 2001, Howard represented the East in a conference versus conference All-Star Game and in the following year he was part of an MLS All-Star squad that took on US national team.

He played against the MLS All-Stars when he returned with English Premiership side Everton in 2009 in the current format that pits the All-Stars against top-flight European competition.

"I'm not sure which one's better," he said of the various permutations of the All-Star Game he has experienced. "But it will be certainly exciting to play Real Madrid -- there's no question about that."

The All-Stars feature plenty of heavyweights with marquee match experience, including World Cup winners Bastian Schweinsteiger, David Villa and Kaka.

"It's an honor to play for the MLS All-Star team, especially here in Chicago," said the Fire's German import Schweinsteiger, who launched his MLS career this season and will captain the All-Stars by popular vote.

"We will look to have a good game, to be competitive against Real Madrid and if we can win, we will go for the match," Schweinsteiger told the Chicago Tribune.

"We know that it is a very strong team and that we are playing together for the first time. It is not going to be easy at all, but we will try and have a good game and enjoy it a little."

Orlando City's Brazilian star Kaka, who helped Real Madrid to the 2011-12 La Liga title, said facing his former team will be "a very emotional experience."

"I do not know how the game will go, but we have a great team to play a very even game with Real Madrid," he said.

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