Neymar Reportedly Won't Make PSG Debut vs. Amiens on Saturday
Those waiting for Neymar to make his Paris Saint-Germain debut will reportedly have to wait until after the club's opening fixture of the Ligue 1 season against Amiens on Saturday.
The Brazilian attacker won't feature today because "French football's governing body (LFP) did not receive the former Barcelona star's international transfer certificate (ITC) from the Spanish federation before Friday's deadline," per reports in France, among them L'Equipe (via the Associated Press on ESPN.co.uk).
Only a matter of hours stopped Neymar from playing against Amiens, though, as ESPN.co.uk noted: "If the ITC had been submitted before midnight local time, the 25-year-old would have been formally registered as a PSG player and made available to play for his new club at the weekend."
The piece also said how the 25-year-old "told gathered media he hoped to play in Saturday's match."
Neymar only joined Les Parisiens officially on Friday, after the French capital club met his release clause worth €222 million (£200 million) the day before, per James Dale of Sky Sports.
Since his arrival, the South American ace has played down the idea he swapped Barcelona for Paris because of financial motivation. Instead, Neymar has said PSG's faith in him was decisive, according to BBC News: "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."
Such faith may not have been afforded Neymar at Barca, where fellow forward Lionel Messi is still the talisman of the team and the face of the club. There is also the presence of prolific striker Luis Suarez, another global star.
Neymar has regularly played a supporting role to both, particularly Messi, for the Blaugrana.
However, the ex-Santos attacker also dismissed the notion being in Messi's shadow prompted his exit from the Camp Nou, per the Guardian's Nick Miller: "No, there was no pressure at all. He was my role model. I was quite nervous in my first week at Barcelona, but after that, I was relaxed. To play with the best is very easy."
Whatever the motivation behind the world-record transfer, the fee paid for Neymar has stunned many within the football world. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is among those who have spoken out against the deal, particularly its impact on the credibility of financial fair play rules, per Marc Williams of the Daily Star.
For now, though, PSG will merely be anxious to get Neymar on the pitch as quickly as possible. He will be the key for the club's hopes to unseat rivals AS Monaco as Ligue 1 champions this season.
The process will begin without the world's most expensive player, but manager Unai Emery's squad has enough quality to still see off Amiens without too much fuss at the Parc des Princes.
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