Neymar was on Saturday involved in a heated dressing room row with Paris Saint-Germain chief Luis Campos and fans have now mobilised amidst the club's growing crisis, it's been claimed.
Campos, who's officially a sporting advisor at PSG but is believed to have a significant influence within the club, allegedly slammed manager Christoph Galtier 's side to their faces after Saturday's gutless 3-1 loss away to title rivals Monaco in Ligue 1 - which they still top by five points. According to a damning report from L'Equipe in the wake of injury-hit PSG's second successive defeat, having crashed out of the Coupe de France in Marseille on Wednesday, Neymar was at the centre of multiple clashes at the Stade Louis-II.
During Saturday's game, the Brazilian superstar is said to have scolded team-mates Vitinha and Hugo Ekitike for their below-par displays. Neymar, 31, was reportedly unhappy with midfielder Vitinha's failure to pass him the ball in the right areas, while strike partner Ekitike - playing in the absence of Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi - left him furious due to his poor decision-making.
When the beaten players came back into the dressing room, Campos - who was appointed in the summer alongside boss Gaiter to help reshape the club's footballing division - voiced his anger towards what Get Football News France describe as their 'shameful attitudes' and 'lack of aggressiveness'. His criticism didn't please Neymar or Brazilian compatriot Marquinhos.
The pair fired back at Campos, arguing that his complaints weren't the main issue behind the bruising defeat. It's added that Monaco couldn't believe how toxic their opponents became, as the 'lively and long' fracas also left several PSG staff members surprised.
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Of course, Les Parisiens' supporters were also dismayed, prompting fan favourite and academy graduate Presnel Kimpembe to use a megaphone after full-time to try and ease tensions. His pleas don't seem to have worked, though, as 30 angry supporters arrived outside the French champions' training ground on Sunday morning in a peaceful protest, reports elsewhere claim.
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Presnel Kimpembe addressed the travelling PSG supporters after Saturday's 3-1 defeat to Monaco (Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)Galtier is now under increasing pressure at the Parc des Princes, with a mammoth Champions League round-of-16 tie against Bayern Munich around the corner. PSG welcome the German giants on Tuesday for the hotly-anticipated first leg, which Galtier admits that he's "worried" about, especially with Mbappe once again expected to be absent and Messi still a doubt.
"There was a lack of intensity. It is the current state of the team. I can't hide behind that," the French tactician confessed in his downbeat post-match press conference. "The state of the team is like this. It is strange but true. It is bizarre to say that as a PSG manager, but it is the current reality.
"I am worried about the match on Tuesday night. If I wasn't that'd be something serious. We'll see if some of those that couldn't start the match today will be able to play on Tuesday. We have a very weakened team and we’re worried. In this period, you have to stay clear-headed. I understand the fans' anger. There is anger."
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