"It's not the first time he has urinated on the club" - Former PSG star launches attack on Neymar for Poker outing amid poor performances
Former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) winger Jerome Rothen has ripped into Neymar Jr. for participating in a poker tournament a day after the team's loss in the UEFA Champions League.
PSG hosted Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie on Tuesday, February 14. The match ended in a defeat for them, with former player Kingsley Coman giving the visitors a 1-0 win at the Parc des Princes.
The Parisians will now have to cause a turnaround when they visit Munich in the second leg on March 8 to progress into the quarter-finals. Speaking after the loss, Kylian Mbappe stressed the need for the team to rest well in the coming weeks. He said:
"Everyone needs to be healthy, sleep well, eat well. We can do something there. If we are more offensive, they are uncomfortable. Let's quickly move on and go again."
However, Neymar seemingly defied Mbappe's message by participating in PokerStars' European Poker Tour on Wednesday, February 15. He was seen playing the game at a luxurious hotel in Paris both in the afternoon and at night.
Rothen has now launched a scathing attack on the former Barcelona superstar for his off-field activities. The former PSG winger accused the player of disrespecting everyone involved with the club with some choice words.
Rothen said on his own RMC show "Rothen s'enflamme":
"It's not the first time that he has urinated on the club, the players, its leaders, its coach, the medical staff... but above all on all the lovers of Paris Saint-Germain. It saddens me to see that."
"Ce n'est pas la première fois qu'il urine sur le club, les joueurs, le staff médical mais surtout tous les amoureux du PSG. Ça me désole."🗣💬 "Ce n'est pas la première fois qu'il urine sur le club, les joueurs, le staff médical mais surtout tous les amoureux du PSG. Ça me désole."
@RothenJerome est scandalisé par Neymar, qui a pris part à un tournoi de poker au lendemain de la défaite face au Bayern. #RMCLive https://t.co/0loVP2C4gg
'Neymar doesn't want to hear anything' - Ex-PSG man Rothen
Rothen went on to point out how Neymar Jr. continues to turn a blind eye towards the criticism leveled at him. The Frenchman feels the forward is not prepared to correct his own mistakes. He added:
"He doesn't want to understand things. No matter how much you criticize him or tell him what's wrong, he doesn't want to hear anything."
The former winger is also of the view that no one at PSG has warned the Brazilian about making mistakes. Rothen said:
"The problem is that since he arrived, no one at the club has told him that 'This is not good', or that 'This is not going well.' I defended him since the restart because he hadn't made a mistake.
"[Luis] Campos told us on 'Rothen s'enflamme' that he's been perfect so far. I want to believe it. But the problem is what he shows next on the pitch."
Neymar has scored only two goals in eight matches for PSG since returning from the FIFA World Cup, having netted 15 goals in 21 matches prior to that. He has also recorded 16 assists this term.