His words are always scrutinized. This week, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, the president of Paris Saint-Germain, also chaired the European Club Association (ECA) congress in Athens, Greece. The opportunity, in particular, to return to some hot points of PSG news, but not only that.
In a short interview given to the Spanish daily AS, he particularly praised his coach, Luis Enrique, who is perhaps going through the first moments of doubt at the head of his team this season with the series of criticized performances: “It’s a fantastic coach, agrees Al-Khelaïfi. The best, for me. A great coach and a great person too. We are very happy with him. The project is extraordinary. »
Also asked about the departure of Kylian Mbappé, and the impact of his absence on the team, he kicked in: “I don’t like talking about players who are not part of my team, I prefer to focus on those who are part of it. »
Another important subject concerning Paris Saint-Germain is the Club World Cup, organized this summer by Fifa in a new format, bringing together 32 teams over one month in the United States. “All the clubs want to play in the Club World Cup,” explained Nasser Al-Khelaïfi. Players or clubs who have grievances do not dispute it. »
The Club World Cup, a response to… increases in player salaries?
A competition which enters into the debate, heated and increasingly intense, around the overload of calendars. “It’s a subject of debate, of course,” assures the president of PSG. It always has been, to be honest, but I think it’s necessary for all stakeholders to come together to discuss it prosperously and see what’s best for everyone. (…) Of course we respect the players and they must be protected. »
For him, the advent of such a competition also responds to the increase in players’ salaries. “We are trying to figure out how to generate this additional money,” he continues. The clubs finance the ecosystem under the best conditions and salaries continue to increase. But we are not traveling just for the money, that is not the right message: the clubs are traveling to recover the money they have spent. If the competitions and the income are the same and on the other side we demand more salaries…”
