Two Ligue 1 titles, eight French Cups and a single European Cup Winners’ Cup was all PSG had in the trophy room until 2011, the year Qatar arrived on the scene. November 23, 2010: Sarkozy had lunch in Paris with members of the government of Qatar, michel platini and a minority investor in PSG. That meeting set the course for the sale of the Parisian team to the Gulf state. But that wasn’t all. Nine days later Qatar was named as the hosts of the World Cup 2022leading to numerous suspicions and criticisms from around the world of football.
Nine days later Qatar was named hosts of the 2022 World Cup
Qatar, using an investment fund called Qatar Sports Investmentsnot only sought the acquisition of the club, but also focused on promoting BeIN Sports, its sports channel then fighting to control sports broadcasting in the Gulf, and which would end up with the almost all rights for sports broadcasts in France, taking over from Canal+ in most sports, thanks to an agreement with Sarkozy, a fervent PSG supporter.
On May 31, 2011, Colonial Capital made public the sale of 70% of its shares to Qatar Sports Investments, amounting to a deal worth 40 million euros. The Gulf nation went on to attain full ownership after shelling out an additional 30 million euros a few months later, thereby heralding a new era for Parisian soccer. PSG, under its new leadership, aimed to bring a novel dynamic to the French capital, with the primary objective of securing the city’s first-ever Champions League title. Club legend and former French Cup-winning coach Antoine Kombouaré was retained, and Leonardo was brought in as the Qatari’s inaugural sports director. Nasser Al Khelaïfi, a relative newcomer, was appointed as the primary manager and soon after was promoted to the role of president.
The transformation of PSG was swift and complete. The club went from relative darkness to the front pages almost overnight. The new owners’ wallets were wide open, ready for incredible levels of investment… and yet a decade on the club has failed to land the Champions League, the one, true prize so desired. The ambitious project, which initially seemed destined for European dominance, has been stymied by internal discord, with clashes between powerful egos one of the main problems.