During an interview with the BBC, the president of PSG defended the model of his club and of current European football.
The word of Nasser Al-Khelaïfi is always scrutinized. Rare in the media, the president of PSG is however known for his positions, starting with his firm opposition to the stillborn project of the European Super League, of which he has always refused to be a part. “With ESL or non-ESL – I hate to say Super League – you’re talking about three clubs, thunders the Qatari, questioned by the BBC in Vienna (Austria). They know there is no chance. People are dying in Ukraine and have nowhere to sleep – and we are fighting for the Super League? The problem with ESL clubs is that they don’t have stability, they don’t have a long-term financial vision.»
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While rumors point to a project still alive, carried in particular by the president of Juventus Andrea Agnelli, “NAK” confirms that he was indeed approached to be part of the equation at the start (12 clubs had announced to participate ). “I could have accepted the check for 400 million euros from the ESL because they invited me. Then when I said no, they said they didn’t invite me – that sums them up. If I had only thought of myself, I could have done it, especially during the Covid. But what about the ecosystem and the fans we represent?“Rather, the president of PSG advocates”an open system, under the aegis of a governing body, where everyone is respected“, or “we can’t say ”you are a small club, you are excluded”».
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Offers of “several billions” for the takeover of PSG
If he assures that he has beenvery difficultDuring his interview with Florentino Perez, the president of Real Madrid with whom he has no relationship, the Parisian president does not spare his Barcelona rival either. “FC Barcelona are a fan-owned club with €1.5 billion in debt – does it work?asks Al-Khelaïfi in response to possible investments in Paris thanks to a sovereign wealth fund. “Our investment in PSG does not only help a club, imagine that PSG is not part of the French League: where would the league find an investment fund to inject 1.5 billion euros, which goes to small clubs to invest? When you look at all of our work, it has raised the bar“Explains the Qatari, who also claims to have received offers from”several billion eurosto buy the club from the capital.
A salary cap? I will be the first to sign
Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, at the BBC
Recently elected to head the Assembly of European Clubs (ECA), Al-Khelaïfi is naturally aware of the reform of financial fair play. A salary cap based on the American system is mentioned. “As club president, if you tell me there’s a salary cap, I’ll be the first to sign.“, assures “NAK”. The latter refutes the theory that he could give PSG privileges: “Do you think, even if I am the president of the ECA, that a club can do something that the other 246 clubs and all the other stakeholders do not want? It’s madness – but people like to think I have a secret plan, matching all the storytelling that’s being made around me.»
