Lisbon (AFP)

Qatar has invested heavily in PSG since 2011, until the outcome of a Champions League final on Sunday. The coronation is awaited by the club, the year of its 50 years, but also in Doha, which hopes for positive results in terms of image.

"Since we are here, our dream is to win the Champions League and now we are close," admitted Nasser al-Khelaifi after the semi-final won Tuesday against RB Leipzig (3-0).

If Paris were to lift the C1 Sunday night in Lisbon, this victory would be the culmination of the massive investments made by the Qataris, which brought the Parisian club out of the doldrums in which it was regularly plunged.

An increase allowed thanks to 1.3 billion euros spent on transfers, investments symbolized by the duo Neymar-Mbappé, who arrived in 2017 for more than 400 million euros in order to change the history of the club and by extension, that from Qatar, which now hopes to take advantage of it.

Winning this Champions League via PSG would be a great accomplishment for the wealthy Gulf emirate and would allow this country, whose human rights condition in general has been the subject of much criticism from NGOs and international unions, to heal his image.

- Brand strategy -

For the sovereign wealth fund Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), owner of PSG, the goal of being "internationally recognized as a leading global brand in the field of sports, fun and entertainment" is on the way to being achieved , provided they win on Sunday.

Before the 2022 World Cup they are organizing, this is one of the last opportunities for the Qataris to put their project in the spotlight.

"Everything is a story of brand strategy. To be linked to prestigious tournaments on the one hand, with attractive and victorious clubs on the other", summarizes for AFP Nicholas McGeehan, director of "Fair Square Projects", organization which investigates the rights of immigrant workers in Qatar.

Because if the organization of the World Cup and the takeover of PSG have also highlighted the treatment of migrant workers, the benefits that Doha hopes to derive seem to exceed the huge investments made.

"At the end of the day, it's about politics, power and influence, not football," McGeehan sums up.

At the moment, there is more passion in Qatar for the English Premier League than for PSG, despite growing interest.

"Undoubtedly, we are anticipating a lot, while awaiting the victory of PSG in the final. I hope they will win," admits sports journalist Mohammed al-Jazarin, based in Doha.

- "Huge political benefit" -

This week, an inscription "WE ARE PARIS - LISBON 2020" covered half of the window of the PSG store in the Qatari capital.

"Interest in PSG increased when Qatar bought it. If they win the C1, they will surely celebrate twice, in Paris and here," hopes store manager Abdul.

Facing Bayern in the final allows the Qataris to have at the same time a double exposure: Qatar Airways being a jersey sponsor of Bayern, they also launched the hashtag "Qlassico" on Twitter.

For McGeehan, a PSG victory would reflect positively on Qatar and Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, in a context of recent tensions with neighboring countries, where Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have cut their ties diplomatic, economic and tourism with Qatar.

"For the prestige of the emir, it is a huge political benefit. His political capital will increase enormously among the Qataris", he explains.

"Their brand is highlighted in the biggest matches played each year in Europe. They will host the biggest football match in the world in a few years (the World Cup final, editor's note). From this point of view, that couldn't work better, ”he concludes.

© 2020 AFP