The poster would, in normal times, most certainly have filled any French stadium and aroused more fervor among the supporters of the two clubs. A “clasico” between PSG and Olympique de Marseille remains a separate event in a season but by deciding to relocate the contested opposition to Kuwait this Thursday (7 p.m.), on the occasion of the Champions Trophy, the Professional Football League has taken the risk of cutting itself off from the most loyal fans who will be completely absent from this meeting.
A choice assumed by the body which has been accustomed, since 2009, to organizing this meeting abroad rather than in France – with the exception of the 2020 and 2023 editions – in order to promote Ligue 1 internationally. If economic reasons also push the League to export beyond its borders – the Champions Trophy should bring it 3.5 million euros – this decision does not really encourage the Parisians and Marseillais to make the plane trip (5h50 flight) to Kuwait.
While PSG had offered its supporters an “all inclusive” offer of 800 euros, this was ultimately canceled by the capital club, according to our information. The minimum threshold of participants was not reached and Paris was forced to give up on the organization of this trip.
The high price of the pack (return transport, meals served on board, transfers, match ticket), linked to significant costs on site, has certainly cooled PSG fans who have increased the number of trips to Europe, the United States or Qatar in recent months. No travel from Paris will therefore take place and the support of the PSG faithful for this clasico will be done remotely. The PSG Fan Club Lebanon should still take its place in the stands.
Places from 30 euros
On the OM side, the supporters groups decided, purely and simply, to boycott this trip after a meeting organized with the leaders at the end of December. The Marseille club, however, proposed an offer of 150 euros per person, with OM covering 850 euros per supporter. But the organization of this match in Kuwait was not compatible with the ultra culture, according to the groups who again displayed their discontent on Sunday during the match against Nantes. The South Winners had displayed a banner ironically denouncing the holding of this match in the Middle East. “2026 Champions Trophy in Kuwait. For 2027 on the moon? », We could read in the stands of the Stade Vélodrome.
The Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, the largest venue in the country and with a capacity of 60,000 seats, will therefore be mainly made up of local fans. The League refuses to provide a trend as to the number of expected spectators and intends to keep it secret for as long as possible. “We will not give a figure before the match”, sweeps away the LFP which hopes to beat the attendance record for the Champions Trophy (57,000 spectators in 2010 at Radés for… PSG-OM).
To get a more precise idea of the potential number of spectators, a brief look at the online ticketing (https://frenchsupercup.com/booking/tickets) shows that more than half of the tickets have still been sold. This Monday evening, places ranging from 30 to 150 euros were still available…
