The stands of the Parc des Princes during a match between PSG and OM, September 24, 2023 in Paris. BERTRAND GUAY / AFP
A little over a year after first mentioning it, Paris Saint-Germain took the plunge. The capital’s team announced, Thursday, December 7, that the American investment fund Arctos Partners, has taken a “minority participation” to the capital of the club; specifying that the Qatari owner, Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), will continue to “control all decisions taken at PSG”. Arctos took 12.5% of the capital of the French champions – based on a total valuation of the club of 4.25 billion euros –, a source close to Agence-France-Presse (AFP) told AFP. QSI.
In November 2022, while the Gulf country organized the men’s football World Cup, a key figure in its investment strategy in sport, several observers wondered whether the gas emirate would continue its action at the helm of PSG, purchased in 2011 by QSI. “We received an offer of more than 4 billion [d’euros] but we are not going to sell, of course, had reaffirmed the Qatari president of PSG, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, dismissing the idea of disengagement. Just a percentage of the club, we think about it, we even have different offers. »
A year later, one of them was successful, and Arctos Partners took a stake in the capital club. “This partnership will form the basis of PSG’s next phase of global growth and will drive the club’s footballing and commercial successes”ensures Paris Saint-Germain in a statement.
Far from being a novice in sport, the American fund has already invested in Fenway Sports Group, owner of the English club Liverpool, and multiple American franchises, such as the Philadelphia Sixers or the Golden State Warriors (NBA). Arctos has investments “in more than 20 professional sports organizations in the fields of MLB, NBA, MLS, NHL, Formula 1 and European football”specifies the PSG press release.
“Continue international expansion”
For QSI, which bought PSG in 2011, when the club was valued at 70 million euros at the time, the entry into the capital of an external player allows, on the one hand, to bring in money in the coffers after twelve years of investments – which will not do any harm while financial fair play ensures – and also to validate the Qatari strategy, which has pushed Paris into another dimension. Although it did not manage to win the Champions League, the stated objective of the Qatari investors upon their arrival, the club from the capital has become a global brand, present throughout the world, and now valued at more than four billion dinars. ‘euros. “The transaction with Arctos symbolizes the incredible growth and appreciation of the value of PSG under the tutelage of QSI for more than ten years”underlines the club press release.
The club is engaged in a standoff with the Paris town hall over the purchase of the Parc des Princes – which it wishes to acquire in order to expand and modernize it – to the point of having positioned itself on the Stade de France file in spring. In his press release, he specifies that he hopes from the agreement reached with the American fund of “real estate initiatives”as well as a « expertise » pour “continue international expansion” of PSG.
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“As a club and institution, we are entering the next exciting phase of PSG’s growth and development, both on and off the pitch”, welcomed Nasser Al-Khelaïfi. Crowned champion of France eleven times – a record – the capital club hosts FC Nantes on Saturday December 9, before traveling the following week to Dortmund, where it will play its future in the Champions League. Another form of international expansion.
