After turning the page on “its” World Cup, Qatar continues to push forward its ambitions in football. Owner of PSG, he insists on buying the Parc des Princes from the city of Paris, and committing 500 million euros to work there in order to enlarge it from 45,000 seats to more than 60,000, like the stadiums owned by his greats. European competitors. Objective: to increase its income while the accounts are in red, and above all to improve the valuation of the club. But after several years of discussions, it is the blockage.
PSG has offered 40 million euros for the Porte de Saint-Cloud enclosure. The town hall, on the basis of assessments, expected between 300 and 350 million. “For us, the figure was grotesque, says someone close to the file at City Hall. We did not want to continue negotiations.” Especially since the rag is burning between the mayor, Anne Hidalgo, and the president, Nasser al-Khelaïfi, since the controversies surrounding the organization of the World Cup in the emirate. In mid-January, the city councilor slammed the door in The Parisian: “Very clearly, the Parc des Princes is not for sale. And it will not be sold. It is a firm and definitive position. It is an exceptional heritage of Parisians.” Faced with this snub, PSG is forced to find a way out. He has threatened to pack up the iconic arena, but no one really believes in building a new stadium for the club. Beyond the investment, the duration of the work and the future revolt of the supporters seem insurmountable obstacles.
Qatar soon in the Premier League
Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) has found new leverage in the balance of power. Nasser al-Khelaïfi spent ten days in London at the beginning of January, at the invitation of the president of Tottenham, Daniel Levy. “Qatar is interested in taking a stake in the Premier League, confirms a close friend of the PSG strongman. After the takeover of Newcastle by Saudi Arabia in 2021, we must react in England.” There is no shortage of targets across the Channel, with stratospheric valuations. Chelsea were sold for 4.5 billion euros. Liverpool, Manchester United and even Tottenham are said to be in the market. “QSI will not invest in a small club like Fulham or Crystal Palace”, adds this relative. The owners of PSG are seriously considering a minority stake in Manchester United or Tottenham. More than Liverpool so far.
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In October, QSI bought 21.67% of SC Braga in Portugal. In order to avoid any suspicion of conflicts of interest, the regulations of European competitions prohibit two clubs participating in a European Cup from being majority owned by the same owner. “Before taking an interest in PSG, the Qataris visited Everton’s infrastructure in Liverpool in 2008, recalls sports economist Pierre Rondeau. If an operation is carried out, the potential withdrawal of PSG is of course on the table. ” At the same time, the opening of the capital of PSG by QSI to an American investment fund which will take 5 to 10% continues. The deal should be finalized by the end of March. The club’s valuation is just over 4 billion euros. The first stage of a disengagement?
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