LONDON: Paris Saint-German beat Toulouse 1-0 on Saturday to make it 14 wins from 14 matches. It is still November and we can already say it will take a miracle for them not to win their eighth Ligue 1 title. Has the Qatar-owned club ruined French club football?
YES, says Greg Wilcox
Many fans have a problem with the way money has changed football. Clubs such as Nottingham Forest, who won two European Cups, no longer have a chance of glory. But never before has the corrupting influence of cash been seen so stark as with PSG and Ligue 1.
The French top flight used to be one of the most competitive in the world — from 2008 to 2012 there were five different champions. Now it is a case of everyone else playing for second. Sport is about competition and any vestige of that has been kicked into Row Z by Qatar’s cash. Why would anyone bother to watch the league now?
NO, says Daniel Fountain
Sure, Ligue Un is a procession at the moment. But, like it or loathe it, sport has become an entertainment industry. Fans want to see the best players and watch entertaining football, which PSG provide week in, week out.
The huge wealth PSG now have has never been seen before in French football. But if others are encouraged to invest in Ligue 1 clubs, it will have the same transformative effect that big-bucks, foreign-ownership has had in the Premier League and La Liga, which are often considered the best leagues in the world.
Other clubs in French football will catch up, but there always has to be a first time. You cannot blame PSG for that.