PSG is seriously considering leaving the Parc des Princes. Jean-Claude Blanc is sounding the alarm.
The recent declarations of Nasser Al-Khelaïfi and the CEO of the new shareholder of the capital club, Arctos Partners, leave little room for doubt: PSG is indeed seeking an alternative to the Parc des Princes, at an impasse regarding to its discussions with the Paris town hall, which refuses to sell the Porte de Saint-Cloud enclosure. Potential avenues lead the Qataris to the suburbs – an option feared by a former strongman at the club.
In an interview with La Tribune on Sunday, former general manager Jean-Claude Blanc, now CEO of Ineos Sport, warns his former employers. “ The key is the quality of experience for the fans. We must have the courage to invest in infrastructure rather than in players. It creates additional income which allows reinvestment in talent », he insists straight away.
Megalomania
And to develop his point: “ It begins the moment he (bear it, editor’s note) download your ticket on your phone, it continues when you arrive at the venue and ends when you return home. So you have to be sure that it doesn’t become an adventure to go there. The rule that I always set for my teams is this: we are not looking for how to fill the stadium for Juve-Milan but for the arrival of Lecce on a Wednesday evening in zero degree weather. »
Taking PSG out of Paris therefore constitutes a very risky bet. “If the fan who bought his ticket or a subscription hesitates because he has thirty minutes of transport, we risk a no show. And an empty seat, even if paid for, is a failure,” insists Jean-Claude Blanc. Thinking too big is not desirable according to the man who, during his time at Juve, took the decision to limit the new Turin stadium to 41,500 seats. “ We could have built a bigger stadium. But the average attendance at the former was 35,000 spectators. Why aim for 60,000? What costs the most to build is the last place, at the top, and it’s the cheapest place to sellhe demonstrates. We need to find the right gauge to deliver the right local experience and magnify the sporting spectacle. »
