Supplied with a series of blank cheques by the Qatar Investment Authority, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) continue to splash the cash. According to Gazetto dello Sport, they are ready to spend about €100m to bring Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid. José Mourinho would be brought in as head coach at the same time.
Supplied with a series of blank cheques by the Qatar Investment Authority, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) continue to splash the cash. According to Gazetto dello Sport, they are ready to spend about €100m to bring Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid. José Mourinho would be brought in as head coach at the same time.
All the spending hasn’t gone down too well in France were wealth, or at least its display, is not regarded as consistent with the values of the French Revolution. The left-wing newspaper Libération has warned that ‘bling-bling football’ has arrived in France.
Particular controversy has surrounded the salary paid to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, variously reported as between €9m and €14m a year. Socialist justice minister Jérome Cahuzac denounced it as ‘indecent’. Ibrahimovic has so far scored nine goals in eight league matches. However, the fact that his autobiography has been shortlisted for Sweden’s smartest literary prize may do more to appease the anger of bourgeois intellectual circles in Paris.
Until the money arrived from Qatar, good French players were exported, usually to England and often to Arsenal. Stadiums were rarely full and a French club has not won the Champions League for nearly 20 years.