The way PSG and RB Leipzig have reached the top of Football Europe has created controversy. On Tuesday night, they will meet to fight for a place in the Champions League final.
On Tuesday night, PSG and RB Leipzig will meet in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Two teams that are hated as much as they are praised for their football.
PSG is a team with superstars, where Neymar in particular stands out. The Brazilian is a playful player, who dribbles as fast as possible. The French champions are entertaining to watch, but off the football field there is not much praise to be gained.
Owned by Qatar
In 2011, PSG was acquired by Qatar Sports Investment, which has pumped money into the club. All the while, club president and owner Nasser al-Khelaifi has had one goal in mind – to win the Champions League. Since the owners joined the club in 2011, PSG has never been closer than this year.
OWNER OF QATAR: PSG club president Nasser al-Khelaifi sent shockwaves through the world of football when he acquired Neymar for 222 million euros in 2017.
Photo: Lionel BONAVENTURE (AFP PHOTO)
But it is not without controversy that they have come to where they are. Former editor of football magazine Josimar, Frode Lia, explains why the French club is so hated:
– It is primarily because of the owners. And the fact that in reality the football club is owned by a state. In addition to the fact that that state does not follow completely basic human rights, it is probably the main reason why people are critical of PSG. And on a general basis, no one loves “the new boy on the block” in a way, and who also spends more money than everyone else and suddenly becomes very good, he explains.
Marketing for Red Bull
RB Leipzig has impressed everyone in the Champions League this season, with the young coach favorite Julian Nagelsmann (33) on the bench. He has formed a team that has reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, with a team consisting of many exciting young players.
But RB Leipzig is really a big marketing project for the energy drink producer Red Bull. In 2009, Red Bull bought the license for the 5th division club Markrastädt. Suits, logo, stadium and name were changed to bring out the Red Bull name.
And not many years later, RB Leipzig had been promoted to the Bundesliga, and now they are in the most generous company in the Champions League.
RB Leipzig has become the number one object of hatred in German football. Lia explains why:
– RB Leipzig is probably more hated in Germany than in Europe in general. The main reason is that RB Leipzig has deliberately tried and succeeded in avoiding the 50 + 1 rule in Germany. This is a rule that supporters are very much in favor of. One can say that it is sacred to the supporters. It helps to ensure the supporters’ influence and co-determination in the football clubs. The rule helps to make Germany unique. In addition, external investors are not very popular in Germany at all, he explains.
FOR THE SEMIFINALS: RB Leipzig has impressed in the Champions League this season, and will play for a final ticket on Tuesday night.
Photo: Lluis Gene (Pool via REUTERS)
Avoids the regulations
The 50 + 1 rule exists to ensure that club members retain general control by owning over 50 percent of the club, to protect the clubs from the influence of external investors.
The way RB Leipzig got away with this rule was by setting the membership fee sky high, so that only one person can afford to become a member, says Lia.
– There is no doubt that it is to avoid the regulations.
In Germany, it is not allowed to have a brand name in the name of a football club. Therefore, the club could not be called Red Bull Leipzig, as they wanted. Then the club chose the quirky name RasenBallsport Leipzig, which means lawn sport in German.
– They are constantly trying to avoid the regulations in Germany, says Lia, who currently runs the podcast «Football stories».
– It is about to become a playground for the super rich
– What would it mean for football if a club like PSG wins the Champions League?
– This means nothing more than that the development we have seen in international top football is only escalating. It has become a playground for the largest nations and the richest in the world. It is only an acceleration of a predicted development. It is about to become a playground for the super rich, Lia thinks.
– What is the difference between PSG and other rich clubs such as Real Madrid and Manchester United, who also spend huge sums on transfers?
– Basically as a football club, I do not think that PSG is any worse than other rich clubs. It’s just that there’s a certain difference between a club being owned by a state – which in practice kills thousands of foreign workers, imprisoning people without a sentence, torturing people – than having built itself up as an industrialist. in the United States, to take Manchester United as an example. There is a big difference, Lia explains.
The semi-final between RB Leipzig and PSG starts at 21.00 on Tuesday night. The club that wins the match will face either Bayern Munich or Lyon in the final.
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