Paris Saint Germain: A Disruptor Rather Than A Creator

Paris Saint Germain. The club from the french capital is a global corporate brand more than a football club. And they are pretty much on track to become the new powerhouse, yes they are still becoming one, haven't become one yet. I've already talked about their business strategy and how they plan to make the most money out of their football club. But the Qatari family which owns PSG, has a more wider plan. Their plan is to take over the world and force other more 'traditional' clubs into their submission. And the things that have been happening around them have somehow been to their favor.

Let's start in a chronological order. PSG going out of their way and making deals with fashion brands and making appearances in fashion shows earned them a lot more following in different genres. Their deal with Michael Jordan's "Air Jordan" has also boosted their PR in the United States by a long shot. A country where football clubs struggle to make an impact, PR wise. Then there will be 2017. We all remember 2017. Shaking the world by a single transfer. PSG triggering Neymar's release clause at 222 million euros. This not only marked a big statement for PSG but also inflated the market. Forcing other clubs to also spend a lot of money. 100 million euros is the new norm now.

You get the picture. By having Neymar, PSG instantly had a better position in the bargaining table for sponsorship deals. They instantly levelled up here. Then a couple years gone by, PSG went about their business making more money than ever, plus all the investments from the shell companies of the Qatari sheikh. Then came the COVID pandemic. Football stopped. And then when it started, it started behind closed doors. Clubs couldn't rake in matchday revenue. Matchday revenue has always been a huge portion of the clubs income. A stop to this has been hard on many clubs around the world. These chain of events had led clubs to mount a big debt. Which led to the idea of the European super league. A new breakaway league outside of the traditional champions league which will help the big clubs make more money. PSG as one would expect, given all the investment they have, stood against the super league. And sided with UEFA. This helped PSG gain a higher place in people's eyes.

By people, I mean general fans. Who are negligent of the fact the big clubs are being underpaid by UEFA and do not understand the financial side of the game. PSG parting with UEFA and UEFA giving threats left right and center, the breakaway clubs had to rethink their position. And eventually that super league never happened. This unlocked a golden opportunity for PSG. As clubs were drowning in debt, PSG took away players like Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi and biggest of them all, Lionel Messi. Clubs didn't have the money to accomodate these players, Barcelona couldn't register Messi either. PSG on the other hand, taking away all these players got a way better position than before in bargaining sponsorships. Now PSG's brand value is more than ever. International fans have increased, so did their PR, across the world.

PSG is a global disruptor of football. They aren't here to write fairytale stories of glory, they want to take by force. And the way they are working, they are staying for a long, long time. But the champions league has to wait though.