Latest news with #NasserAl-Khelaifi
Straits Times
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
PSG big winners in new Champions League format
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and players celebrate with the trophy after the team won the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan, June 1, 2025 at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France. Thomas Padilla/Pool via REUTERS MUNICH, Germany - Paris St Germain went from risking an early exit in this season's Champions League to an emphatic final victory, with the French club proving the biggest beneficiaries of the competition's new format. Luis Enrique's side thumped Inter Milan 5-0 on Saturday in Munich to win the tournament for the first time, but given their early form, they were lucky to even be involved in the knockout rounds. The Champions League has long been a far cry from the old European Cup, where only the champions of each country took part in a knockout tournament, but perhaps this season governing body UEFA has found the best of the reinvented editions. The group stage was replaced with a mammoth 36-team league phase where clubs play eight of the other sides once and the top eight qualify directly to the last 16, while the next best 16 go into a knockout playoff round to join them. UEFA announced the changes in 2021 to much scepticism and criticism from players, managers and fans alike, with complaints over the confusing new format and yet more matches for players already unhappy with an overloaded football calendar. While it did mean extra games for clubs, the claim that the changes would offer an even easier route for the major sides to reach the later rounds proved untrue, and the league phase offered excitement right up to the final matchday. Luis Enrique brushed off any suggestion of altering his ways, despite the increase in games. "It's true, the schedule is a bit different but I don't think it is going to change the way I work as a coach," he said before the competition began. "I have principles that I think are best for the team. It is always good to have around 20 players who think they can play, rather than 12 or 13." TEETHING PROBLEMS PSG's record over the opening six games would have made it very unlikely to see them make it out of the old group stage, having collected just seven points as the new format offered up more matches between the bigger clubs early on. The French club had to face Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid, losing to all three. PSG did win their opening match with Girona and later beat RB Salzburg but could only draw at home to PSV Eindhoven. At that stage of the season, the coach faced criticism for his team selections and experimental formations, and Luis Enrique also laid down the law with his players, dropping Ousmane Dembele for the Arsenal game for disciplinary reasons. There was method to what some saw as madness, and the coach has managed to turn his group of players into a proper team, with Dembele ending up player of the tournament, and PSG shifting gear at just the right time. PSG were 2-0 down to Manchester City in their penultimate league phase game, with both sides in trouble as they found themselves way down the standings. PSG mounted a stunning comeback to win 4-2 and their Champions League campaign truly began. Perhaps it is coincidental, but this season's final was the first without a club from England, Spain or Germany since 2004, and gave us the first ever meeting of PSG and Inter, along with the French side finally reaching their holy grail. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
14 hours ago
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-PSG big winners in new Champions League format
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and players celebrate with the trophy after the team won the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan, June 1, 2025 at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France. Thomas Padilla/Pool via REUTERS MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) -Paris St Germain went from risking an early exit in this season's Champions League to an emphatic final victory, with the French club proving the biggest beneficiaries of the competition's new format. Luis Enrique's side thumped Inter Milan 5-0 on Saturday in Munich to win the tournament for the first time, but given their early form, they were lucky to even be involved in the knockout rounds. The Champions League has long been a far cry from the old European Cup, where only the champions of each country took part in a knockout tournament, but perhaps this season governing body UEFA has found the best of the reinvented editions. The group stage was replaced with a mammoth 36-team league phase where clubs play eight of the other sides once and the top eight qualify directly to the last 16, while the next best 16 go into a knockout playoff round to join them. UEFA announced the changes in 2021 to much scepticism and criticism from players, managers and fans alike, with complaints over the confusing new format and yet more matches for players already unhappy with an overloaded football calendar. While it did mean extra games for clubs, the claim that the changes would offer an even easier route for the major sides to reach the later rounds proved untrue, and the league phase offered excitement right up to the final matchday. Luis Enrique brushed off any suggestion of altering his ways, despite the increase in games. "It's true, the schedule is a bit different but I don't think it is going to change the way I work as a coach," he said before the competition began. "I have principles that I think are best for the team. It is always good to have around 20 players who think they can play, rather than 12 or 13." TEETHING PROBLEMS PSG's record over the opening six games would have made it very unlikely to see them make it out of the old group stage, having collected just seven points as the new format offered up more matches between the bigger clubs early on. The French club had to face Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid, losing to all three. PSG did win their opening match with Girona and later beat RB Salzburg but could only draw at home to PSV Eindhoven. At that stage of the season, the coach faced criticism for his team selections and experimental formations, and Luis Enrique also laid down the law with his players, dropping Ousmane Dembele for the Arsenal game for disciplinary reasons. There was method to what some saw as madness, and the coach has managed to turn his group of players into a proper team, with Dembele ending up player of the tournament, and PSG shifting gear at just the right time. PSG were 2-0 down to Manchester City in their penultimate league phase game, with both sides in trouble as they found themselves way down the standings. PSG mounted a stunning comeback to win 4-2 and their Champions League campaign truly began. Perhaps it is coincidental, but this season's final was the first without a club from England, Spain or Germany since 2004, and gave us the first ever meeting of PSG and Inter, along with the French side finally reaching their holy grail. (Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
Powys County Times
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Powys County Times
Carnival atmosphere in Paris after Champions League success
Thousands of fans lined the Champs Elysees on Sunday as Paris St Germain celebrated their Champions League triumph. PSG brought the trophy back to Paris for the first time after thrashing Inter Milan 5-0 in Munich on Saturday night – the record margin of victory in a Champions League final. The number of fans on the Champs Elysees were limited to 100,000 after violence marred PSG's stunning victory. Two people died and the French interior ministry reported 559 arrests were made across France during the celebrations. But there was a carnival atmosphere in Paris as fans waved flags, lit flares and belted out the Queen anthem 'We Are The Champions'. An open top double-decker bus in the PSG colours of blue, red and white, with the words 'Champions D'Europe' written on it, made its way slowly down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, chairman of club owners Qatar Sports Investments, and head coach Luis Enrique – who won the Champions League in 2015 with Barcelona and became the seventh manager to lift the trophy with two different clubs – led the celebrations. The trophy was passed down the bus to every player, who were proudly wearing their winner's medals. Defender Presnel Kimpembe grabbed the microphone to sing 'Ici c'est Paris!' (This is Paris) and captain Marquinhos urged FIFA to reward Ousmane Dembele for his efforts by saying 'Ousmane, Ballon d'Or.' France forward Dembele scored eight goals in PSG's European campaign and was named by UEFA as the best player in this season's Champions League. 🏆 UEFA Champions League Player of the Season: Ousmane Dembélé! 👏 #UCL | @PSG_inside — UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 1, 2025 After the parade, the players and staff were received at the Elysee Palace by French president Emmanuel Macron. 'At last it's Paris,' said Macron. 'A lot of people know that as a teenage, 32 years ago, I was supporting the OM (Olympique Marseille) team in Munich. 'Now the Paris team has carried off the Champions League and you did it in a most sublime, fantastic way. 'You brought Paris to the top of Europe and you gave us all something to live for and be excited about together. 'It is a team with willpower, ambition and a sense of solidarity. 'That's the football we like to see and that's the football you showed us – and I would like to say to Luis Enrique, 'We owe a lot to you for this victory'. 'You did it, finally Paris won, and this victory owes a lot to you Mr President (Al-Khelaifi). For 14 years you've been through a lot and you've always defended the club, the city and French football. 'There were years where it was hard for Qatar, but they kept believing in PSG.' The celebrations will conclude at the Parc des Princes on Sunday evening with a trophy presentation in front of the club's season ticket holders. There will also be a closing lap of honour from the players.
LeMonde
a day ago
- Business
- LeMonde
For Nasser Al-Khelaifi, PSG's versatile and 'untouchable' president, triumph marks a crowning achievement
What was he thinking as he lifted the Champions League trophy? About the spectacular failures and long years of disappointment for his Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the competition? On the pitch at Munich's Allianz Arena on Saturday, May 31, Nasser Al-Khelaifi – known as "NAK" – finally saw his club win Europe's most prestigious football trophy after their victory over Inter Milan (5-0). This was the ultimate goal set when Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) acquired the club in 2011. According to him, however, the PSG boss had put aside any obsession with that title. At least, that's what he had been repeating over the past year. Gone were the bold pronouncements of his early days, when he gave the club "five years" to claim the top prize. "He eventually learned from his mistakes," said a former close associate. This triumph has further cemented the status of the Qatari businessman, who at 51 has become the most influential football executive in Europe. Shuttling between flights, Al-Khelaifi juggled languages, roles and conflicts of interest: president of PSG; head of beIN Media Group; member of the executive committee of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) since 2019; president of the European Club Association (ECA); board member of the Ligue de football professionnel (LFP, France's professional football league); board of directors member at the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA, Qatar's sovereign wealth fund); head of QSI; and president of the Qatar Tennis Federation, and also of the film studio Miramax.
DW
a day ago
- Sport
- DW
PSG and Qatar finally reach Champions League summit – DW – 06/01/2025
When Qatar bought Paris Saint-Germain in 2011, it looked like they would quickly spend their way to the top. They've shed stars for a likeable young side, but it's hard to see this as a win for football. This was a night of firsts. A first Champions League for Paris Saint-Germain. The first time a final has been won by five goals. And a first European trophy for Qatar. "Everyone doubted us," said Qatari club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi after the match. " A lot of people didn't have faith in our project. Today we've proved it. Honestly, I can't believe it, we won 5-0. It's a dream, As PSG coach Luis Enrique and his players bounced joyfully on the Munich pitch before lifting up Al-Khelaifi after a stylish 5-0 dismantling of Inter on Saturday night, Qatar Airways advertising provided both backdrop and a further reminder of the engine of their success. After 14 years of near misses, implosions and the departures of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and the rest of the big names, Qatari Sports Investments, which is operated by the Qatari government, had finally got the statement win it craved. Given that Inter warmed up with Qatar Airways emblazoned on their training kit too, perhaps they couldn't really lose. That Qatar Airways branding is a familiar sight in Munich, with Bayern Munich — who usually play their home matches at this stadium — wearing the logo on their sleeves until the deal ended in 2023, following intense pressure from fans about the country's human rights record. Qatar and Bayern Munich parted, but why? Michael Ott led fan pressure at the time and told DW that football higher-ups will not be forced to cut their ties with countries with questionable human rights records. "It was a deception. You feel a bit betrayed, but I think we expected it," he said of the fact that Bayern signed a new deal, with another country with a questionable record, Rwanda, shortly after they ended their public relationship with Qatar. "All signs were showing the deal wasn't continued because of Qatar and not because of the Bayern officials. There wasn't really a shift in the mindset of the Bayern officials." Bayern Munich fans protested heavily against Qatari sponsorship. This reads: 15,000 dead for 5760 minutes of football. Shame on you. (Photo: November 5, 2022) Image: Jan Huebner/IMAGO Now the win with PSG has even more eyes on Al-Khelaifi, whose claim to be the most important man in football grows ever stronger. As well as being president of PSG, the 51-year-old former tennis player is chairman of the European Clubs Association — which represents the interests of 700 European clubs — is on the executive committee of UEFA — which organizes European football including the Champions League — and on the organizing committee for the upcoming FIFA World Club Cup. He is also a minister without portfolio in the Qatari government and chairman of state-owned broadcaster BeIn Sports, which has bought the rights to the Champions League. Bayern's fans, and German fans in general, tend to object to state ownership of clubs that were once community assets and made the point when PSG visited Munich last November. They raised a huge banner of Al-Khelaifi with a red line through it. The same image was stuck to escalators, walls and benches across the city on Saturday. Paris welcomes Al-Khelaifi Paris, however, seems largely to have welcomed Qatar and Al-Khelaifi. Ott, who now lives in France, said the attitude of PSG fans is "a stark contrast to Germany." "Of course, they have been speaking about human rights problems before the [2022 Qatar] World Cup, but way less than in Germany, and when I speak to the French, most of them care way less than the Germans about this topic," he said. "It has taken longer than we imagined but we have won the Champions League," PSG fan Sebastian told DW shortly after the match. "The players were so good tonight but of course we needed the money from the owners to get here. They have been great for us. This is just about football." As the big screen camera panned to Al-Khelaifi just before the trophy was presented, the crowd greeted him with warm applause. The Qatari reciprocated then took his place in the lineup of dignitaries, hugging each player as they collected their medals. Doue and co. promise bright future About an hour earlier as, Doue, 19, finished yet another sumptuous team move to score PSG's third goal on 63 minutes, it was easy to see just why so many fans don't concern themselves with the ownership question. Two goals from a French teenager in the most dominant Champions League final performances in memory is exactly the kind of story that draws people to the game. Desire Doue scored twice and announced himself to the world Image: Peter Cziborra/REUTERS But Doue isn't quite the homegrown talent narrative of old, he was signed from Rennes for €50 million ($57 million) last year. No other French club has ever spent that much on a player while PSG and Qatar have surpassed it 10 times. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the Georgian winger who scored the fourth cost even more, though substitute Senny Mayulu, who added a fifth, has come through the PSG youth system. That mix of smart big money purchases and finally beginning to tap their rich local market of talent will worry more traditional European powerhouses. For the masses of Parisian fans making their way into the Munich night, there seemed to be no worries at all. Edited by Sean Sinico
