Did PSG do the right thing by selling Marco Verratti? It is a question that French Football Weekly was posed on Wednesday evening, after the announcement of the departure of the transalpine midfielder to Al-Arabi. And it must be said that among Parisian supporters, this subject divides a lot. Some are happy to see this player, who for them symbolizes the club’s repeated failures in Europe, leaving to launch a new cycle.
Others, however, are quite embarrassed by the way in which a big name at the club, considered a legend by many, was shown the door, and left in relative anonymity. More than his departure, it is also the way in which PSG managed this affair which is controversial among many Parisian supporters. The player was not even able to say goodbye to the Parc des Princes as many wanted, even if PSG seems to be preparing a tribute to him in the weeks to come.
A 100% Qatar transfer
A first controversy linked to his departure, and it is not the only one. Other observers, not necessarily PSG fans, underline a huge conflict of interest in this story. PSG actually recovered 50 million euros from the sale of the player to a club in Qatar; a way of circumventing financial fair play for many. Money from Qatar arriving in the Parisian accounts, with a well-known man at the helm: Antero Henrique, formerly of PSG and still close to the Ile-de-France staff.
As indicated The Parisian, Al-Arabi is not linked to QSI, and this is PSG’s line of defense regarding this matter. We are therefore far from the Saint-Maximin case for example, transferred from a club belonging to Saudi funds to another club managed by the Saudi state. But many remain convinced that in this matter, there is an obvious conflict of interest. The player’s price – 50 million euros – is also considered very high by some given the player’s recent performances. A transfer that gets people talking…
