As French football suffers from financial losses and poor administration, a new book claims that Paris Saint-Germain is doomed to become a great power marooned high and dry "in a third division" European competition.
PSG has won the league in eight of the last ten seasons, making Ligue 1 a parade most of the time, but author and media critic Pierre Maes believes things might become worse.
Maes even issues a warning that if PSG struggles to maintain a European challenge as domestic competition declines, its Qatari sponsors may consider investing in the English Premier League.
His most recent book, The Ruin of French Football (La Ruine du Foot Français), details the financial catastrophe that has gripped the French league after a wildly idealistic television agreement with the Spanish business, Mediapro, fell through in December 2020.
The lingering effects of that catastrophe—in which the French clubs signed to a TV agreement at a price considerably beyond what was fair—have reduced the teams' revenue, though PSG has continued to do better than others.
Ligue 1, currently regarded as one of the Big Five European Leagues along with Serie A, LaLiga, Bundesliga, and the Premier League, will eventually regress to the level of the Scottish Premiership or the Russian Premier League due to a steady decline in the quality of players it can attract and retain.
According to Maes, it will play in the third division of European football. Other clubs outside PSG won't be able to acquire quality players.
They'll strive to acquire youthful talent or purchase players at a discount in order to resell them for more money. The strength of French clubs in European competitions will be quite low.
Football talent already leaves France in large quantities. According to the CIES Football Observatory, there were 978 players working overseas as of May 1 this year, placing the nation second only to Brazil in terms of player exports.
French teams currently face the risk of having to sell more players for less due to a reduced position in the global transfer market.
A lot more clubs are apparently for sale as well. In fact, Eagle Football Holdings, a firm owned by co-owners of Crystal Palace John Textor and Jamie Salter of Authentic Brands, and the parent business of Lyon, just this week disclosed that they were in talks.
The possible sale highlights the financial hardship experienced by French clubs, but it also demonstrates that investors are still eager to invest in Ligue 1 teams, despite the fact that they are lagging behind more potent competitors.
Last season, of the three French teams that made it into the Champions League, Monaco was eliminated by Shakhtar Donetsk in a play-off match before the group stage, Lille by Chelsea in the round of 16, and PSG by the eventual champions of the tournament, Real Madrid, at the same level.
Since Marseille won the European Cup in 1993 and PSG won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1996, the French have not seen club success in Europe.
The truth is that PSG are unaffected by the financial storm, despite the fact that their domestic rivals have been severely impacted.
The Paris giants just gave their top player, Kylian Mbappe, a new £650,000 per week, three-year contract in an astonishing display of intent.
Maes wonders why the Qatari investors would continue to support Paris rather than moving their money elsewhere if PSG struggles to maintain a consistent and genuine European threat in the future.
PSG is owned by Qatar Sports Investments, which is run by Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the club's president and has the support of the Qatari government.
You may wonder, "Why is Qatar investing in France?" when you consider the investments in Manchester City and Newcastle United.
Of sure, the Qataris would invest in the Premier League if they had to make another investment. It is incredible to watch them battle PSG since 2011. It did not turn out well.
While PSG has excelled at home, they have also reached the round of 16 and quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League four times each, one semifinal, and they finished second in the competition once in the past ten years.
The Qataris will leave PSG if they no longer believe it has a future, according to Maes. That much is certain. The risk is that.
In Ligue 1, Maes continued, "PSG does not have enough competition." The value is decreasing and the league is at a low point.
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