Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, the president of PSG, wishes to increase the reception capacities of the Parc des Princes, the emblematic home stadium of the club.

The mayor of Paris is in favor, but the constraints of the place risk limiting the possibilities of extension to 60,000 spectators against around 48,500 currently.

INTERVIEW

PSG wants to expand its garden.

The president of the Parisian club, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, said Wednesday at the microphone of Europe 1 wanting to expand the Parc des Princes.

"We need to expand this stadium. I love the Parc des Princes but it is important to enlarge it for our supporters and for the future of the club," he explained.

For its part, the mayor of Paris seems ready to start work to modernize this emblematic stadium, whose last major transformations date back to 1972.

Up to 60,000 spectators, "impossible to go beyond"

"The attractiveness, the notoriety of the PSG deserves an enclosure offering more places for the spectators", abounds with Europe 1 Emmanuel Grégoire, the first deputy to the Mayor of Paris, when we questioned him on the feasibility of the project. "Nasser Al-Khelaïfi spoke about it to Anne Hidalgo some time ago and we have a complicated technical job to do because the Parc des Princes is a place we care about but which is also very restrictive on the architectural and urban plan. ", indicates the elected official.

"We are working on extension scenarios around 55,000 to 60,000 places maximum (against around 48,500 currently,

editor's note

). It will undoubtedly be impossible to go beyond", warns Emmanuel Grégoire.

By way of comparison, the Stade de France can accommodate more than 81,000 spectators.

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The arrival of Lionel Messi, a signal in favor of the sporting attractiveness of France

This project could be boosted by the arrival at PSG of Argentine star Lionel Messi. "It is necessarily a fame accelerator, therefore demands. A lot of people will want to go to the stadium", notes Emmanuel Grégoire, still with Europe 1. "The arrival of Lionel Messi is excellent news. Not just for Paris and for French football but for sport in general. With the arrival of the Olympic Games, it is a very positive signal of the attractiveness of Paris and our country for major sporting events, "he concludes.