Football: PSG 'no longer welcome' at the Parc des Princes, says club president
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A general view of the Parc des Princes stadium, which is the home of French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
PHOTO: AFP
MADRID – Nasser Al Khelaifi, the president of Qatari-owned Paris Saint-German, asserted in an interview published on Tuesday the club may be looking for a new home after being made to feel unwelcome at the Parc des Princes.
Al-Khelaifi told Spanish sports daily Marca that PSG are “under pressure” from the Paris municipality to quit the stadium which has been their home since 1974 and the club are looking at “other alternatives”, without specifying what those alternatives are.
“We are no longer welcome at the Parc des Princes,” said Al Khelaifi, who last week told Talksport the French giants are considering selling shares in the club.
“They are pressuring us to leave. They are playing with us and we are tired. I love the Parc des Princes, it’s our history and I respect it more than anything. Staying has always been our preference. But I don’t think they want us.
“We’ve invested €80 million (S$114 million) in the stadium. But it is not ours. Who would agree to do such a thing?“
On Nov 23, Al Khelaifi complained in the press about City Hall’s refusal to sell the stadium, which seats 48,000, to QSI (Qatar Sports Investments), owner of the club.
The Paris municipality said that PSG had a 30-year lease but are now trying to pressure the city into selling the ground.
“They (PSG) say: ‘We will inject €500 or 600 million of works only if we are owners’,” said the municipality’s urban development boss Emmanuel Gregoire.
“It is not our first choice to sell them the Parc des Princes. It is the heritage of the city, of Parisians.”
The Parc des Princes was originally built in the south-west of the city, close to the tennis courts of Roland Garros, in 1897 and was home for the national football and rugby teams until the Stade de France was built for the 1998 football World Cup.
Gregoire admitted that the question of selling the historic ground had been raised.
“Discussions are underway around the sale and we told them: ‘Before even knowing if we want to sell, we would have to agree on a price’,” he said.
“Today, we have not yet reached the end of these discussions.”
Since the Qatari investment fund QSI bought PSG in 2011, the club have won eight French league titles and six French Cups, but failed to conquer the Champions League, losing in the final in 2020. AFP
