Paris Saint-Germain are without doubt one of the biggest names in European football and the club recently elevated their status further by signing arguably the best player in football history, Lionel Messi. With Neymar, Kylian Mbappé, Sergio Ramos, Ángel Di María, Georginio Wijnaldum, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Marquinhos among the players already on the books of the French club, it seemed impossible to even imagine PSG could afford to add Messi to the list.
If it was not for the grim financial situation at Barcelona, Messi would not have left the Spanish club but when it became clear they could not afford to keep the player, PSG acted swiftly. Within a matter of days, the Argentine forward was being presented as a PSG player. So, where is the wealth coming from and who is behind the financial clout of PSG?
We must go back to June 2011 and the arrival of Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar. Investment firms Colony Capital, had sent out a message in 2010, having stepped in to buy the club from Canal+ in 2006, in a bid to attract investment in PSG and make them a dominant force in years to come. Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani purchased 70% of the shares via state-run shareholding organization Qatar Sports Investments.
QSI chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi was appointed as the new club president and it is believed Al Thani has used Qatar oil money to finance PSG. The Qatar Investment Authority, run by the state, in addition to the Qatar National Bank, Qatar Tourism Authority, and Ooredoo (a Qatari multinational telecommunications company), have also been involved. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that PSG is a state-owned club, which means they have access to incredible sums of money via the organizations highlighted above.
One of the many reasons why onlookers believe Qatar chose to invest in PSG is to promote the country ahead of the 2022 World Cup, which is being staged in the country. Having struggled in their domestic league for so long, PSG are now considered the favorites to win the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League. Between 2004/05 and 2010/11, PSG failed to finish above 4th place in Ligue 1. They finished the 2006/07 season in 15th place and the following season in 16th place plus, there was a 13th place finish in 2009/12.
However, since the 2011/12 season, PSG have never finished outside the top two places in Ligue 1, winning the league title 7 times, in addition to over 20 other trophies. PSG also reached the Champions League final in 2019/20 and it is no surprise considering the owners have spent over €1 billion on players.
Even when buying the world’s best players, it is a gamble as they may not gel as a team on the pitch. Nonetheless, the PSG fans will enjoy watching them all in action and you can have a great time at Platin Casino Online, which is also a lot of fun.
There have been investigations into the finances of the club led by UEFA under its Financial Fair Play regulations but no action has been taken against PSG or their owners. Sponsorship deals with Nike, Accor, and Air Jordan have also added to the finances of the club, bringing in an estimated €200 million a year.
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