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PSG lash out and deny they will be sold after claims Qatar are 'throwing in the towel'
PSG have denied reports they will be sold by Qatari Sports Investments.
QSI, a subsidiary of the Qatari state-run sovereign wealth fund, has pumped over £1.3billion into the club to spend on big-name stars since their takeover over a decade ago. The latest was the summer acquisition of Lionel Messi after the Argentine’s Barcelona contract expired.
But the enormous spending has failed to deliver a highly-sought Champions League title. PSG went close in 2020, reaching the final before being beaten by Bayern Munich.
A 3-2 aggregate defeat by Real Madrid in this year’s last-16 was particularly galling for those in charge at PSG. The Parisians led 2-0 on aggregate at half-time in the second leg but a Karim Benzema hat-trick completed a dramatic turnaround.
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President Al-Khelaifi was understood to be fuming after that game and manager Mauricio Pochettino’s job was understood to be on the line. The Argentine could still leave PSG when they seal the Ligue 1 title in the next few weeks.
On Monday, it was reported by the extravagant Spanish television show El Chiringuito that Al-Khelaifi and his business partners were ‘throwing in the towel’. They claimed the 48-year-old former tennis professional would not be in place following the World Cup, which is set to take place in December.
The World Cup would be a significant landmark in the context of the station’s report because it is controversially being held in Qatar. The Gulf nation won the rights to host the tournament in 2010 and have been backed by FIFA despite several human rights groups campaigning to have their hosting rights removed.
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However, PSG have now denied the claims to French radio station RMC Sport as per Get French Football News. The club “categorically and completely denies this fake news”, a statement read out by the station claims. PSG went on to slam El Chiringuito as a “cheap Spanish outlet”.
El Chiringuito has earned a reputation for its dramatic presentation. A segment of the show went viral last year when host Josep Pedrerol tore into Eden Hazard for laughing with his former Chelsea team-mates after Real Madrid had been knocked out of the Champions League by the Blues.
PSG remain in several quandaries though, despite ruling out a sale. Pochettino’s future is in doubt - the former Tottenham boss has them 15 points clear in the French top-flight but his relationships with key players, and the Champions League humiliation, goes against his record.
Star forward Kylian Mbappe could also leave in the summer, with a contract extension beyond the summer yet to be agreed. Madrid are believed to be interested after having two bids rejected last summer.