Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi questions whether the way Barcelona generated revenue this summer was legal. He says that in conversation with POLITICS. The 48-year-old policy man accuses the Catalan top club of setting a precedent and possibly breaking the Financial Fair Play rules.
Barcelona has been struggling with enormous financial debts for some time, including an expensive household and the corona pandemic. The Spaniards got into trouble as a result, so President Joan Laporta decided this summer to sell parts of the TV rights. Barcelona earned hundreds of millions of euros with that. Al-Khelaifi is not happy about that. “Is this fair? No, it’s not fair. Is this legal? I’m not sure. If this is allowed, others will do the same. UEFA has its own rules. They will definitely look into it.”
PSG and Spanish football have been at odds for some time. LaLiga threatens to take steps against les Parisiens because it believes that Qatar is pumping huge sums of money into PSG, which is not according to the rules. The financial consequences of the corona pandemic, among other things, led to several clubs from Europe, including Barcelona, wanting to set up the Super League. The plan was met with much resistance and criticism from supporters around the world. Al-Khelaifi also sees nothing in it. PSG already did not join the other top European clubs during its original formation and will not do so once the ideas revive.
“I am very confident that no one will allow the Super League to become a reality. We need to think about everyone, not just ourselves. The Super League was all about the clubs themselves. We have to be careful what we change in football. We have to respect the fans,” said Al-Khelaifi. The PSG president has also come under criticism himself, as he is the chairman of beIN Media Group, which pays millions for the TV rights to French football and UEFA competitions. These conflicting roles are not appreciated by critics. Al-Khelaifi himself remains calm about that. “When there are problems and people need me, I am there to help. Nobody sees a conflict.” Al-Khelaifi says there has never been a moment when he took advantage of his position.
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