Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea faced off this Wednesday at the Parc des Princes in the first leg of their 2025-2026 Champions League round of 16 tie (return leg on March 17). The match, which ended in a 5-2 victory for PSG, was marred by an incident in which Pedro Neto (the 26-year-old Chelsea winger) pushed a ball boy he deemed too slow. UEFA subsequently opened disciplinary proceedings, even though the referee had not issued a card.
We suspect this decision will generate further discussion, but we prefer not to dwell on it too long. We can agree with Neto and UEFA that the ball boy’s behavior was inappropriate, even if Neto’s reaction was obviously negative. Every point of view is valid. In any case, the striker will be available, which is good for the spectacle, and also for Chelsea, who have a three-goal deficit to overcome.
