The £200m striker appeared to twist his ankle while chasing Bouna Sarr.

PSG beat Marseille in Le Classique with ease, as Kylian Mbappe smashed home the opener and Rolando turned Neymar’s pass into his own net for the second.

Edinson Cavani swivelled and fired in a third from Neymar’s pass.

Paris St-Germain – who are 14 points clear of second-placed Monaco in Ligue 1 – host Real Madrid on Tuesday, 6 March, trailing 3-1 from the first leg.

Neymar has scored 29 goals in 30 games since his world-record move from Barcelona in the summer.

–

Source: BBC Sport

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The forward was suspended for last weekend’s win over Lille and missed the midweek League Cup win at Strasbourg to travel to Brazil for personal reasons.

He struck after four minutes before setting up Kylian Mbappe to score.

Firmin Mubele got one back but Edinson Cavani fired in from a through ball by Neymar, who then poked in a fourth.

Both sides had a player sent off with Benjamin Andre receiving a second yellow card in the second half for the hosts while PSG centre-back Presnel Kimpembe was dismissed for a foul inside the box late on.

Midfielder Wahbi Khazri, on loan from Sunderland, then fired over the bar from the penalty.

PSG are nine points clear of Monaco at the top of the table with 47 points from 18 games.

Rennes, meanwhile, remain sixth on 25 points.

–

Source: BBC Sport

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The Real Madrid and Portugal forward beat Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Paris St-Germain’s Neymar to the honour.

Ronaldo, 32, helped Real to a Champions League-La Liga double in 2016-17.

Lieke Martens of Barcelona and the Netherlands won best female player, Real Madrid’s Zinedine Zidane was named best men’s coach and Netherlands’ Sarina Wiegman the best female coach.

Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud received the Puskas award for the best goal of 2017 for his ‘scorpion kick’ against Crystal Palace in January.

Celtic won the fan award after they honoured the club’s 1967 ‘Lisbon Lions’ with a stunning 360-degree card display on the 50th anniversary of their historic European Cup win.

Best Fifa men’s player – Cristiano Ronaldo

This was the second edition of the Best Fifa Football Awards, with Ronaldo the first recipient of its main prize in January, at the start of what was another hugely impressive year for the forward.

As well as scoring two goals in Real’s 4-1 win over Juventus in the Champions League final, the Portuguese also found the net 25 times in 29 appearances as his club won La Liga for the first time in five years.

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Source: BBC Sport

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European football’s governing body introduced FFP ‘break-even’ rules in 2013, requiring clubs to balance their spending with their revenue.

PSG more than doubled the world record transfer fee when they spent 222m euros (£200m) to sign Neymar last month.

They have signed Kylian Mbappe on loan, and could pay £165.7m for him in 2018.

PSG have been owned by the Gulf state of Qatar, via its Qatar Sports Investments fund, since 2011.

The French club made made a profit of 10m euros (£9.2m) on revenue of 520.9m euros (£389.6m at the time of conversion) in the 2015-16 financial year, according to the most recent figures published by Deloitte.

The six-time French champions have failed to meet FFP rules before – receiving a fine, a spending cap and only being allowed to register 21 players for the Champions League in 2014.

Uefa’s FFP regulations were approved in 2010 and the first assessments began the following year.

The ‘break-even’ element states clubs can spend 30m euros more than they earn over a three-year period.

A Uefa statement said the investigation into PSG would “focus on the compliance of the club with the break-even requirement, particularly in light of its recent transfer activity”.

It added: “In the coming months, the investigatory chamber of the Uefa club financial control body will regularly meet in order to carefully evaluate all documentation pertaining to this case.

“Uefa considers financial fair play to be a crucial governance mechanism which aims to ensure the financial sustainability of European club football.”

In a statement PSG said: “The club is surprised by this approach given that it has constantly kept Uefa informed about the financial impact of all players’ operations carried out this summer, even though it wasn’t obliged to do so. The club is very confident in its ability to demonstrate that it will fully comply with Financial Fair Play rules for the fiscal year 2017-2018.

“Deputy CEO Jean-Claude Blanc met with UEFA experts including Andrea Traverso, responsible for Uefa Financial Fair Play, for more than three hours on 23 August at Paris St-Germain’s headquarters, where he demonstrated that the operations carried out with FC Barcelona and in progress at that time with AS Monaco followed the rules of Financial Fair Play for the financial year 2017-2018.

“On 31 August, the club’s general management again had exchanges with UEFA Financial Fair Play management to provide a more detailed account of how the transaction with AS Monaco would be integrated into the club’s accounts for this season, in terms of amortization and payroll, in compliance with French accounting standards.

“Furthermore, as for the summer of 2017, the club has already completed outgoing player transactions that helped improve club results by more than 104 million euros for the 2017/2018 season.

“The club also reminds, if necessary, that it has under contract many high valued players allowing the club to generate very significant capital gains in the next two transfer windows (January and June) of 2018.”

–

Source: BBC

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The Brazil forward, 25, joined the French club from Barcelona for a fee of 222m euros (£200m) and he will earn 45m euros (£40.7m) a year.

“I’m delighted to be here for this new challenge,” said Neymar as he appeared at the Parc des Princes.

PSG beat Amiens 2-0 in their first league match but Neymar did not play.

The world’s most expensive player watched from the stands because his international transfer certificate was not lodged in time for him to feature in the match.

Neymar added: “I want to win lots of trophies with you and I need your support to win these trophies.”

PSG, six times champions of France, were runners-up to Monaco last season but opened the scoring against Amiens through Uruguay forward Edinson Cavani.

Cavani then turned provider as he set up Javier Pastore to make it 2-0.

–

Source: BBC

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His international transfer certificate missed a midnight deadline, so he will watch Saturday’s match against Amiens from the stands, the league said.

But he will be presented to supporters before the match at Parc des Princes.

Neymar, 25, joined the Ligue 1 club for a record fee of 222m euros (£200m).

He will earn 45m euros (£40.7m) a year.

In his first public appearance as a player for the French club on Friday, Neymar said it was “sad” that people thought that his move from Barcelona had been motivated by money.

“What I say to these people is they don’t know anything about my personal life. I was never motivated by money.

“If I was following the money, I would be somewhere else, with other clubs in other countries. I’m really sad that people still think that way and I’m glad that PSG believe in me.”

The player arrived in Paris by private jet on Friday and was greeted by PSG officials and hundreds of supporters.

At the club’s shop on the Champs-Élysées, more than 1,000 fans queued to buy a PSG shirt of their new Number 10.

–

Source; BBC

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Neymar, 25, is set to sign for Paris St-Germain for a world record fee, after telling Barca he wanted to leave on Wednesday.

The Brazil international’s lawyers paid the sum in person at Barca’s offices.

Earlier on Thursday, La Liga rejected an attempt to pay it the fee, over concerns PSG are violating Uefa’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

In a statement, Barca said they “will pass on to Uefa the details of the above operation so that they can determine the disciplinary responsibilities that may arise from this case”.

The club said previously that they would report PSG to Uefa, European football’s governing body, for a breach of FFP rules.

“On Thursday afternoon Neymar’s legal representatives visited in person the club’s offices and made the payment of 222m euros in the player’s name with regards to the unilateral termination of the contract that united both parties,” Barca’s statement read.

In Spain a player must buy himself out of his contract.

This is usually done by depositing the amount of the buyout clause with La Liga – Spain’s equivalent of the Premier League – to release the player from his contract. The league then passes the money to the selling club.

“We can confirm that the lawyers of the player have come to La Liga to deposit the clause and that it has been rejected,” La Liga told BBC Sport before the payment was made directly to Barcelona.

FFP rules, first implemented during the 2011-12 season, stipulate that European clubs cannot outspend what they earn by more than 30m euros.

PSG are backed by money from Gulf state Qatar and La Liga president Javier Tebas has accused the French club of “financial doping”.

He told AS: “La Liga is positing that state-backed clubs that compete using ‘financial doping’ could destabilise professional football in Europe”.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has criticised the deal, saying: “Once a country owns a club everything is possible and it becomes difficult to respect Financial Fair Play.”

–

Source: BBC

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The Brazil international, 25, is set to sign for Paris St-Germain for a world record fee, after telling Barcelona he wanted to leave on Wednesday.

Spanish media say La Liga officials believe PSG are violating Uefa’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

But PSG do not think the issue will delay Neymar’s transfer.

A senior source at the Ligue 1 club told BBC Sport’s Richard Conway that La Liga are acting unlawfully, so they are taking steps to resolve the situation.

Barcelona previously said they would report PSG to Uefa, European football’s governing body, for a FFP breach.

In Spain a player must buy himself out of his contract.

This is done by depositing the amount of the buyout clause with La Liga – Spain’s equivalent of the Premier League – to release the player from his contract. The league then passes the money to the selling club.

“We can confirm that the lawyers of the player have come to La Liga to deposit the clause and that it has been rejected,” La Liga told BBC Sport.

FFP rules, first implemented during the 2011-12 season, stipulate that European clubs cannot outspend what they earn by more than 30m euros.

PSG are backed by money from Gulf state Qatar and La Liga president Javier Tebas has accused the French club of “financial doping”.

He told AS: “La Liga is positing that state-backed clubs that compete using ‘financial doping’ could destabilise professional football in Europe”.

–

Source: BBC

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Professor Asare, in a statement released on Wednesday, challenged the legitimacy of the CRIC, which was set up by the government to deliberate and make proposals regarding probable amendments  to the constitution.

The committee, chaired by Professor E.V.O Dankwa, had recommended that the government hold a referendum on the constitution amendment  process later in the year which it believed would facilitate the process.

Professor Asare, however, said the CRIC “have no power under the laws of Ghana to schedule a referendum to amend the Constitution of Ghana.”

He stated that he had taken the case up with the Supreme Court and had requested the court to “issue an order” directing all relevant bodies “to permanently cease and desist from taking any actions that seek to amend or otherwise disturb the Constitution.”

Professor Asare added that he was prepared to “litigate this matter to its logical conclusion” to ensure that the constitution was not amended on the recommendation of the committee.

Find the full statement below:

Statement on the Unlawful Activities of Professor Oware Dankwa and the Constitution Review Implementation Committee

My attention has been drawn to an article posted on your website (myjoyonline .com) on July 16, 2014, titled “Do you want the Death Penalty abolished?” In the said article, Professor Emmanuel Victor Dankwah, Chairman of the so called Constitution Review Implementation Committee, is reported to have addressed a forum in Kumasi where he explained that Ghanaians will answer questions on the death penalty during an upcoming referendum.

I wish to bring it to the attention of the general public that Professor Dankwah and his so called Constitution Review Implementation Committee have no power under the laws of Ghana to schedule a referendum and/or to amend the Constitution of Ghana.

It is common knowledge that the Constitution can only be amended by its terms. It is also well known that Parliament is the sole body that can initiate, consider and propose amendments to the Constitution. Parliament’s power to amend the Constitution is not only plenary and exclusive but also cannot be delegated to or usurped by the President, the so-called Constitution Reform Commission or the Constitution Review Implementation Committee. Further, it is trite knowledge that the President’s role in constitutional amendment is limited to the ministerial task of giving assent to bills properly passed by Parliament.

We maintain, as we have from 2010, that the President has no power to set up a commission to initiate amendments or draft amendment bills to the Constitution. To the extent that the President has usurped Parliamentary powers and misappropriated Article 278(1) to traverse the amendment architecture emplaced by Chapter 25 of the Constitution, C.I. 64 setting up the Constitution Review Commission, all actions taken by the Commission, the establishment of the Constitution Review and Implementation Committee and all its actions remain unlawful, unconstitutional, impermissible, null, void and of no effect.

As Professor Dankwah and his Committee should be aware, the Supreme Court of Ghana has been asked to issue an order directing the President, the Chairman and Members of the Constitution Review Commission, the Chairman and Members of the Constitution Review Implementation Committee, the Attorney General, their deputies, agents, or employees or any other servant or agent of the Republic to permanently cease and desist from taking any actions that seek to amend or otherwise disturb the Constitution in so far as such actions are inconsistent with Chapter 25 of the Constitution (writ # J1/12/2014).

Moreover, during the pendency of the litigation before the Supreme Court of Ghana, the President, the Chairman and Members of the Constitution Review Commission, the Chairman and Members of the Constitution Review Implementation Committee, the Attorney General, their deputies, agents, or employees or any other servant or agent of the Republic are required to cease and desist from taking any actions that seek to amend or otherwise disturb the Constitution, in so far as such actions are inconsistent with chapter 25 of the Constitution.

Since 1992, Ghana has chosen the path of law and order in the management of its affairs. It is therefore regrettable that Professor Dankwah and his Committee have chosen the path of taking actions that are contemptuous of the Supreme Court.

We plan to litigate this matter to its logical conclusion and call on the Chairman of the so-called Constitution Review Implementation Committee to terminate with immediate effect all activities related to altering and amending the Constitution.

S. Kwaku Asare

July 16, 2014

By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The three critical of the 1992 constitution includes abolition of the death penalty, declaration of war by the President and a President being sworn into office before parliament by the Chief Justice.

Professor Dankwa made this known at the first regional stakeholder briefing of the CRIC on the recommendations for amendments of the constitution at Koforidua.

These three issues are among the entrenched clauses of the constitution that, the Constitution Review Implementation Committee (CRIC) have pencilled out for amendment, after consultations with stakeholders following the submission of inputs from the public to the Constitution Review Commission (CRC).

The proposed amendments is to replace the death penalty with life imprisonment, declaration of war by the President  to be subjected to parliamentary approval within 72 hours with two-thirds majority endorsing and the President under certain circumstances to be sworn-in anywhere not before parliament but by a high court judge.

Indications are that, the referendum would be held alongside the local and district assembly elections to cut down cost and at least 40 percent of the total voting population is expected to take part out of which 75 percent votes would validate a particular position.

Other recommendations for amendment under the entrenched clauses are that the Prerogative of Mercy in offences such as high treason, armed robbery, murder and narcotic related offences would no longer be a reserve for the President but  be determined by an independent committee to reduce favouritism and abuse of that power on the part of the President.

Again moving the right to vote from the entrenched to non-entrenched provision of the constitution to allow parliament to decide on the voting age and amendments to the women’s right to enable parliament enact law to back the affirmative action bill.

Professor Dankwa said whiles recommendations on the entrenched constitutional provisions or clauses required a referendum where the general public would have a say ,  those made under the non-entrenched clauses only required representatives of the people in parliament to endorse.

Explaining reasons underlining the call for amendment, Professor Dankwa explained that, for instance, the swearing –in of the President before parliament did not make room for emergency situations and therefore if Ghanaians agreed through a referendum, ‘that entrenched clause would be amended to provide that a president could be sworn- in anywhere in the country by a high court judge and not before parliament in times of emergency.

Professor Dankwa used the death of President Mills as a clear example where parliament had to be recalled later in the day before a new president was sworn in explaining that the  current proposal sought to bridge that gap by making it flexible for the next president under such emergency circumstance to be sworn in anywhere.

He said the CRC received a total of 83,161 data on review recommendations from the public aside those that were not formally presented but through social media and emphasized that, the review was to strengthen the constitution to be practicable and urged the public to go out in their numbers and vote during the referendum.

Other members of the Committee including Dr Gheskiya Agambilla and Mrs Estelle Appiah gave submissions of the non-entrenched and entrenched amendments respectively.

However, participants at the forum raised concerns about certain aspects of the review such as the abolition of the death penalty and the declaration of war arguing that the abolition of the death penalty could lead to an increase in armed robbery.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Akuribah Yaagy, the Eastern Regional Police Commander, observed that, with the current trends in crime, especially armed robbery that involving  murder, the death penalty should be maintained citing the US who just days ago executed two people convicted for murder.

He said even though the law had been there, for the past 20 years, no President had given the assent to any execution and so could be maintained that way to put fear in people to desist from high level crimes such as murder.

Source: GNA

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