PSG dominate French football

Paris Saint-Germain have a 24 point lead at the top of Ligue 1.  They remain unbeaten this season and they are almost certain to win the French title with more points that any other team in history.

It is now five years since the Qatar Investment Authority bought PSG, a deal that many belive was arranged by Nicolas Sarkozy, then the French president, and a PSG fan.   They were catapulted to the status of a super power in European football.

Paris Saint-Germain have a 24 point lead at the top of Ligue 1.  They remain unbeaten this season and they are almost certain to win the French title with more points that any other team in history.

It is now five years since the Qatar Investment Authority bought PSG, a deal that many belive was arranged by Nicolas Sarkozy, then the French president, and a PSG fan.   They were catapulted to the status of a super power in European football.

Qatar brushed off a £20m fine from Uefa for breaching financial fair play regulations.   It has turned PSG into the commercially most successful team in the world, with sponsorship and marketing revenues of £230m a year, ahead of Bayern Munich and Manchester United.  The playing budget is around €600m (£470m) a year.

PSG are not the only interest Qatar has in French football.  BeIN Sports, a division of Al-Jazeera, holds a portion of the television rights for Ligue 1.   The latest deal runs from the start of next season until 2020 and is worth £563m.   Without the star names at PSG, such a deal would not have been achievable.