Lion Links: 11/24/16

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all. On this turkey day I’m thankful for SB Nation, who welcomed The Mane Land to the family two years ago on this day. The mothership has been good to us. We’re also thankful to welcome new Minnesota United blog E Pluribus Loonum to SB Nation. They just went live yesterday. Our own managing editor suggested their name and our old coach is probably headed there, so check them out.

There’s quite a few former Orlando City players aren’t so thankful for some news they received Wednesday. Let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Declines Options

The club announced Wednesday that it would not renew the contracts of six players: defenders Kevin Alston, Luke Boden, Seb Hines, and Tyler Turner, midfielder Pedro Ribeiro, and forward Júlio Baptista.

Hell of a Thanksgiving. Turner was selling some of his gear on social media earlier this month, so it would appear he had an idea he was not having his contract renewed. But if the club really waited until the day before Thanksgiving to drop the news on the players, that seems pretty inconsiderate.

Anyway, it sounds as if some of these players could be brought back in the future, so that's good news for them.

Pulis Receives Coaching Certificate

Anthony Pulis announced on Twitter Wednesday that his UEFA A coaching diploma finally came in the mail. At the Orlando City B initiation announcement, Pulis was recognized as one of the youngest coaches in the U.S. to have earned this distinction.

Two-year Sentence Requested for Neymar

Spanish prosecutors have requested a two-year jail sentence for Brazilian star Neymar in his fraud case.

According to the story, that request means he's unlikely to ever step foot inside of a prison. From the story:

When Neymar moved to Barcelona in 2013, the club and Neymar's representatives allegedly excluded an investment company that had a stake in Neymar's playing rights. In a practice that was once very common, but is no longer allowed under FIFA rules, Brazilian investment fund DIS bought 40 percent of Neymar. They claim that Barcelona then dealt directly with Santos FC and Neymar's representatives, and that they were never paid their fair share.

DIS petitioned the court for a five-year sentence for Neymar, which the prosecutor knocked down to two years. This is important because sentences under two years can be suspended for first-time offenders. This is what happened to Neymar's teammates, Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano, in their tax fraud cases. Both were handed suspended jail sentences and will never set foot in a jail as long as they don't commit another crime. Short sentences also were recommended for Neymar's parents in the case, so they also are unlikely to serve time if convicted.

Didier Done in Montreal

Didier Drogba will not return to the Montreal Impact in 2017. That’s all Drogba said after the match on Tuesday, so it is unclear if he will be retiring or heading to a different club. Drogba is on his last legs, but he’s still a national treasure and has proven in Montreal he can be quite effective.

Zlatan Gets an Extension

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the best player to ever exist in life, has signed a one-year extension with Manchester United, according to his manager Jose Mourinho. The 35-year-old Swede signed on with Man United in the summer in a notable transfer move. So the move to bring the best player to ever exist in life to MLS is put on hold. For now.

Didier Done in Montreal

Didier Drogba will not return to the Montreal Impact in 2017. That’s all Drogba said after the match on Tuesday, so it is unclear if he will be retiring or heading to a different club. Drogba is on his last legs, but he’s still a national treasure and has proven in Montreal he can be quite effective.

All right folks, go eat your turkey. See you next week.