This is Paris. For many years, Paris Saint-Germain has reigned supreme over the French capital. Indeed, the residents of the Parc des Princes are the only ones to play in Ligue 1 among the clubs based in Paris. But the situation could soon change. On October 17, Paris FC formalized negotiations with the Arnault family and Red Bull through a press release published on its official website. “Agache (a subsidiary of the family holding company controlled by Bernard Arnault, editor’s note), advised by Red Bull, intends to contribute to the influence of the club’s unique values and offer it the necessary means to continue its economic, civic and sporting development.»
The PFC added: “ a double ambition drives it: to permanently place the men’s and women’s teams in the elite of French football and in the hearts of Parisians. Through its journey and its history, Paris FC embodies another facet of football in the capital. With the arrival of Agache as majority shareholder of the club, the Club will change dimension and aim for new successes. » Subsequently, we learned that Red Bull was going to recover around 15% of the shares and that the Arnault family would be a majority shareholder of 55% first, then 85% by 2027, once Pierre Ferracci will have handed over. Then, the buyout was validated by the DNCG on November 12. A very important step in the sales process. After that, the Arnault family presented their new project.
NAK annoyed by this takeover?
And obviously, competition with PSG was mentioned. But Antoine Arnault was clear: “ if the ambition is to dethrone PSG? I’ve been a PSG supporter since I was 12, so you’ll never hear me say a negative word about Paris SG. It would be very presumptuous of us to imagine being able to compete with PSG. Nasser (Al-Khelaïfi, president of the Parisian club) has built something extraordinary, the previous shareholders had put in place an ultra-solid foundation. Today, PSG is one of the top three clubs in the world in terms of valuation. Our objective is first of all to have a good season in Ligue 2 and to move up to Ligue 1. Then, when, I hope, we are in L1, we must create a club which remains in the elite and installed there. To, afterwards, hope to be able to secure European places regularly. »
For his part, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi reacted publicly to this announcement. “ This is excellent news. It’s fantastic for Paris and fantastic for French football. This will bring competition to the highest level of Parisian football. » But in private, the tone would be a bit different. This Wednesday, The Team explains that the president of PSG put on a good show, but that he was “upset” when he learned of the arrival of the Arnault family and Red Bull within the PFC. According to the sports daily, NAK was not at all aware of their arrival. An expert on Qatar also clarified to our colleagues: “ he sees a competitor arrive, with enormous resources, who has the name of Paris and the Eiffel Tower on his logo. It’s no longer the same situation as with Paris FC before, even if it had moved up to L1. It will take time, but the PFC will eventually overshadow PSG. » But for the moment, it is PSG which is flying the colors of the capital at the highest level.
