The Frenchman believes money is killing the philosophy of football and feels the Parisians lack a clear identity as a result
Former UEFA president Michel Platini believes Paris Saint-Germain “could be called Coca-Cola” as he questioned the Ligue 1 champions’ identity in an outburst over wealth in modern football.
Platini served as the head of UEFA for eight years but was suspended and later banned from all football-related activity in 2015 after an ethics investigation found he received a “disloyal payment” in 2011.
The former Juventus and France midfielder’s ban has now ended and he took aim at the money in today’s game during an interview discussing the possibility of clubs having quotas to limit the number of foreign players in their teams.
“Today, you buy all the best players and you win,” Platini told France Info. “Everything is based on wealth – money kills a philosophy of football.
“When you are UEFA president, you want everyone to participate in your competitions, and that everyone has a chance to win them. It is a bit complicated at the moment.”
Platini went further by citing the example of PSG, who have won the Ligue 1 title in six of the past seven seasons having become one of the world’s richest clubs when Qatar Sports Investment purchased the team in 2011.
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Paris-born forward Kylian Mbappe was the league’s top scorer in 2018-19, which was PSG’s first season under former Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel.
“The president is Qatari, the sports director [Leonardo] is Brazilian, the coach is German [Tuchel], there is a Frenchman on the team, [but] why is it called Paris Saint-Germain?” Platini added.
“There are 40,000 people, a lot of people who love the club. [But] it could be called Coca-Cola or anything.”
Despite confusion over PSG’s identity their success in recent years can’t be questioned with the club winning the Ligue 1 title six times this decade.
Tuchel’s side currently sit seven points clear in the league this season after just 12 games despite the fact they’ve already lost three games and have been without Brazilian star Neymar for much of the campaign.
While silverware on home soil has flowed freely, PSG are still struggling to shine in the Champions League having failed to make it past the Round of 16 across the past three seasons.