Dhe hat-trick show by Karim Benzema was followed by a cinematic rage from bad losers Paris Saint-Germain. President Nasser Al-Khelaifi is said to have walked through the catacombs of the venerable Estadio Santiago Bernabéu after the 1: 3 at Real Madrid and the associated end in the Champions League and, as a highlight, together with sports director Leonardo tried to get into the referee’s cabin. This is reported by Spanish media, sometimes contradictory and officially unconfirmed. But the European association UEFA should be in the picture.
The trigger for the rumored freak was the goal to equalize the Madrilenians, in front of which Benzema is said to have fouled PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma according to Al-Khelaifi. “I wonder what is the video referee doing? For me that was a foul. It’s a shame,” said PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino. Statements by his boss Al-Khelaifi are said to have been less quotable, and his entire conduct deserves punishment.
Al-Khelaifi’s appearance is a sensitive topic for UEFA, as the 48-year-old holds important positions in European and world football. In addition to day-to-day business as PSG president, he has been a member of the UEFA Executive Committee and chairman of the club association ECA since 2019. Al-Khelaifi is also involved in the organizing committee for this year’s World Cup in his home country. Proving Al-Khelaifi’s misconduct could be easy, however, since a Real employee is said to have recorded the scenes on video.
“Paris with self-absorption”
Things are said to have been great in the PSG cabin too. According to reports, there was an altercation between star Neymar and goalkeeper Donnarumma.
The end should have heralded the end of the premier class for Pochettino as well. The Argentinian coach failed to dictate a dominant and skillful game to the Parisian star ensemble. Star Lionel Messi is still not finding his feet and in the end a lot will depend on world champion Kylian Mbappé, who also provided the lead in Madrid.
“They didn’t know it was impossible, so they did it. The players of Paris Saint-Germain have once again continued the legend of a specialist club known for its self-sacrifice,” wrote “Le Monde” aptly on Thursday.
At PSG, they should have slowly understood that you can’t win the premier class just by buying stars together. In 2020, under coach Thomas Tuchel, they made it to the final. Six months later, the German was thrown out just in time for Christmas and Pochettino was brought in. In turn, Tuchel won the handle pot with Chelsea half a year later.
PSG was last eliminated in the round of 16 in 2019 – old times that you thought were behind you. “We mustn’t throw everything overboard now. It’s difficult to analyze,” said Leonardo. In reality, however, it is difficult to imagine that PSG will not take any personal consequences.
“L’Équipe” put it in a nutshell: “It’s the story of a club that doesn’t learn from its mistakes and could continue to recruit all the stars in the world without it changing anything. At least as long as the philosophy doesn’t evolve, as long as the same mistakes are repeated year after year, as long as individuals, on average, find themselves more important than the colors they defend.”
