Champions League: Manchester City, example to follow for PSG?

Manchester City face Inter Milan this Saturday (19:<> GMT) in the Champions League final in Istanbul. The English club, whose owners are from the United Arab Emirates, can win the trophy for the first time in its history. This would validate his strategy while his rival, PSG, does not seem to find the right formula.

Manchester City players Kevin De Bruyne face PSG defender Presnel Kimpembe. (Illustration). AFP - PAUL ELLIS

Text by: Cédric de Oliveira

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Manchester City and PSG are two club-states and given the geographical proximity of their owners, neighbors in the Gulf, it is rather tempting to compare them. One has been under the UAE flag since 2008 and headed by businessman Khaldoon Al Mubarak. The other is owned by QSI, Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, which took over in 2011. Two "new rich" who changed dimension with the arrival of their new owners, but who opted for two different strategies to develop.

As Christophe Lepetit, economist at the Centre for Sports Law and Economics, explains, "Paris Saint Germain has built a very big franchise, an important global sports brand by capitalizing on the city of Paris, its image while Manchester City has built its growth and greatly expanded its empire by developing a timeshare strategy of clubs. "

The owners have begun to build a conglomerate, "the City Football Group, which partially or totally owns 13 clubs around the world," he says. There are Asian, South American and European clubs. This makes it possible to reach sponsors who would not be manifested with the mere presence of Manchester City, which remains the flagship of this galaxy. »

A lucrative strategy since the Mancunian club is the one that has generated the most revenue in Europe. Last season (2021-2022), its turnover amounted to 731 million euros.

It should be added, however, that City, like PSG, has been worried and even sanctioned for non-compliance with financial fair play, a device set up by UEFA to control club spending and prevent excessive deregulation in the transfer market. Without major consequences since the English have been able to compete in the Champions League every season.

Substantial resources and coherent sports management

Despite these constraints, the Citizens have benefited from a decisive shift made by their leaders since 2011. At the time, the owners went to recruit the masterminds of FC Barcelona - the reference at the time - to develop their project. Founding decision for Philippe Auclair is a specialist in English football: "The involvement was colossal financially, but for the rest, the leaders left a free hand to football connoisseurs. They wanted to build a pyramid, and before transferring the players, they recruited Barça's masterminds, Txiki Beguiristain and Ferran Soriano, and then they got Pep Guardiola back. »

The Spanish coach, who won the Champions League in Catalonia in 2009 and 2011, arrived in the north of England in 2016 after a spell with Bayern Munich. "With Beguiristain and Soriano, Guardiola takes care of everything," continued Philippe Auclair. The owners take great care not to intervene. There is not a single player in the current squad who can be said to have been recruited to please the owners. Trust is mutual and those in charge of the sporting aspect have time. When things go a little worse, it's not a disaster. But it's true that for Manchester City, it's been going for a long time! »

The results are in: seven Premier League titles won since the arrival of the Emirati owners in 2008. Five in the last six seasons. A rare performance in the most competitive league in the world, which also bears the seal of Pep Guardiola, who has patiently built his group.

PSG, a chronic instability

Probably what PSG lacks, unable to work in stability. Despite an 11th France league title (a record), the season was punctuated by many extra-sporting affairs and the Champions League still eluded him.

For Dan Perez, journalist at L'Equipe, it may be because the Parisian club seems to be in permanent improvisation: "In Paris, we have the impression that nothing is simple. The sporting director does not have full powers all the time. He does not always agree with his president, he can even be changed at any time.

The president can also bypass the sporting director, or even the coach to value players. Players have already helped oust coaches! ». He adds: "There are several channels of communication within the club. There are several decision-makers, even non-decision-makers. It is not clear what the club's guideline is. It's a bit confusing, but maybe a Champions League win for Manchester City will awaken consciences on the Doha side? »

Qatar, after being focused on the organization of the World Cup on its territory at the end of 2022, saw its team still eliminated in the knockout stages of the Champions League (against Bayern Munich), despite the presence of its three stars Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé in its squad. Paris has already embarked on major upheavals for next season: the club is looking for a new coach (Julian Nagelsmann?) but has already completed the recruitment of several players. A sign that recent failures may not have been digested yet.

Meanwhile, Manchester City and Erling Haaland are dreaming of a historic treble if they win the Champions League final this Saturday in Istanbul. For that, we will have to beat Simone Inzaghi's Inter Milan at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.

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• UEFA Champions League
• Football
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• France