Undisputed leader on French lawns but not only. Paris SG declared the third highest payroll in Europe in 2018, according to a report that UEFA published Thursday, January 16, which also points to the "significant" increase in revenues of the champion club of France.
PSG, with 337 million euros in payroll, comes just behind the total emoluments paid by FC Barcelona (529 million euros) and Real Madrid (431 million euros), according to data from the European body united in its annual panorama of club football.
The club, owned by the QSI investment fund QSI, has not counted the expenses, increasing its payroll by 24% over a year. This increase coincides with the arrivals in the summer of 2017 of superstars Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, two of the best paid players on the continent.
Behind Paris, Monaco and OL stand out ...
But Monaco was even more generous over the same period (+ 34%). ASM spends more on salaries than it earns in revenue, according to UEFA.
The report also points to the "significant" growth in PSG turnover (+ 18%, to 638 million euros in 2019), which allows it to rise to fifth place in Europe in the category.
These figures join those of Deloitte (635.9 million euros) released on Tuesday and which place FC Barcelona at the top of the ranking with 840 million euros in revenue.
The good performance of Olympique Lyonnais (221 million euros in turnover in 2019, +57 million euros in one year) is also cited by the authority.
... but the rest of Ligue 1 is discreet
But overall, French clubs are doing worse than their European neighbors. Ligue 1 generated 1.7 billion in 2018, less than Italy (2.3 billion), Spain (3.1 billion), Germany (3.2 billion) and England (5.4 billion).
TV rights represent the main source of revenue, at 37%. The expected increase in these from 2020 (1.1 billion per year) suggests a beginning of catching up for L1.
UEFA also ranks PSG sixth in ticket sales revenue (€ 100 million). The club has the best stadium performance in Europe, generating 93.3 euros per spectator per game.
But the L1 struggles in the matter: with 21.9 euros per person per match, the French clubs are below the average (27.3 euros), to a small ninth place at European level.
With AFP
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