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Qatar arrives at PSG, behind the scenes of this big change
Published on April 2, 2023 at 1:00 p.m.
It is now 12 years since PSG went under the Qatari flag. At the time of this change of course, the PSG coach was called Antoine Kombouaré. A former Parisian player, he largely participated in the recovery of the club which was in serious crisis after the episodes of May 2010 which led to the death of a supporter. Qatar had also renewed its confidence in him before dismissing him a few months later. He explains the underside of this arrival.
Today at FC Nantes, Antoine Kombouaré was the first coach of the era QSI at PSG. If he admits to having been disappointed by this departure, he nevertheless does not hold any resentment, he who is lucid about the reason for this eviction.
“I want to keep you, you stay”
At the microphone of Free Ligue 1, Antoine Kombouare recounts his first part of the season as coach of the PSG chaired by Nasser Al-Khelaifi, with Leonardo as sports director: Does this departure from Paris bother me? No, people didn’t understand. When Qatar arrives, I have been there for 2 years. It’s difficult, because there are problems, there is death. There is the Leproux plan, but we win the Coupe de France and we make it to the final the second year. And the third year, PSG is bought by Qatar and I am convinced that Leproux, the president, goodbye, and the coach, myself, it’s over. And there no… So I’m going to Doha, I’m surprised. “But what’s going on, why do you want to see me?” “. “No, it’s you I want to keep, you stay. We want to leave with you, you will be the coach, we have confidence in you”. And so there, I start the season and here we are first, autumn champion with 3 points ahead of Montpellier. »
“I never had anger”
Despite this honorary title of fall champion, Antoine Kombouare is disembarked, for the benefit of Carlo Ancelotti, who will not win the title of champion of France: ” Leonardo comes to tell me that I am no longer the coach of PSG. It’s something I had been feeling for two or three months. There is an emblematic coach who arrives and there I understand. That’s why I never discussed the choice they made. What I did not understand me, it is why at this time there? Either you do it at the start of the season or you wait until the end. Afterwards, that’s the choice they made and I never got angry. At first, I was disappointed, but I immediately understood. I had one year left on my contract, they paid off and that’s it, life is good. »
