The end of an era! Ten years after her professional beginnings with PSG, Marie-Antoinette Katoto is about to turn a page without brilliance. During the victory against Paris FC (3-0) in the Play-offs semi-finals on Sunday, the attacker did not play a minute, stayed on the bench without warm up. A strong image that illustrates the divorce consumed between the club and its historic rider.
“It bothered me to see her wrapped in her parka”confides his former coach Patrice Lair in the columns of
The teamstruggled to see her put aside in such a crucial moment.
Despite an honorable statistical assessment this season (12 goals, 3 assists in 23 games), Katoto never really seemed involved or fulfilled. From November, she was pointing to an atmosphere
“Weighing” and a failed transfer window. Internally, it is accused of having contributed to this deleterious climate. Latest episode to date: a muscular altercation with the sports director Angelo Castellazzi, who highlighted a deep and final break with the Parisian club.
Long pillar of the PSG female project, the 26 -year -old player now seems to be a starting instance. A transfer to OL is evoked insistently, and its presence on Friday in the final against the Lyonnaises is very uncertain. Behind the scenes, his rare supporters, like the temporary worker Paulo Cesar, underline the importance of the team above all. But for many, the decision is made: Katoto will leave PSG through the small door.
“A safe”
His former coaches are struggling to understand this end of the tense cycle. Olivier Faourafni, who led PSG as a title in 2021 with a brilliant katototo, believes that she simply needs a framework where she feels understood: “It's a bit like a safe. Once it opens, it can be incredible. »» For him, the attacker has everything to reach the highest level if she finds confidence.
All hope that a new start will allow him to relaunch his career. Faourafni does not hesitate to evoke the Ballon d'Or as a credible horizon, provided that the player is humanly accompanied. After a decade marked by ups and downs at PSG, Marie-Antoinette Katoto is about to write a new chapter, with Euro 2025 as a springboard to a more peaceful and ambitious future.
