MANCHESTER, England: Lionel Messi’s impending exit from Paris Saint-Germain could mark the beginning of the end of the French soccer club’s era of excess.
The Argentina great’s departure after this season has the potential to be every bit as significant as the host of superstar signings since Qatari money transformed PSG into one of the richest clubs in the world.
Barring a sudden change of heart from either side, Messi is set to leave when his current contract expires in a few weeks.
While that paves the way for the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner to earn a reported $400 million a year in Saudi Arabia, it also gives PSG a chance to pivot away from a strategy that hasn’t quite worked out and turn instead to developing local talent.
Owned by Qatar Sports Investments since 2011, PSG have dominated French soccer and signed some of the biggest names in the sport, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Messi. But the team have yet to win European club soccer’s biggest prize, the Champions League.
If anything, PSG are slipping further away from the trophy they crave the most after back-to-back eliminations in the round of 16 over the past two seasons. Despite a roster stacked with world-class talent, the club have gone out at that stage of the competition in five of the last seven seasons and only reached the final once in their history, in 2020.
Not even the dream team of Messi, Mbappe and Neymar have been able to alter that.
While Messi’s exit makes things appear clear now, the shift in strategy to focus on young talent seems to have started last year. A state-of-the-art training center in Poissy is close to completion and will provide a base to nurture the best young players France produces.
At the heart of this new vision, however, is arguably the biggest talent of them all: Kylian Mbappe. That raises questions about the future of Neymar, with the Brazilian not appearing to fit the club’s model.
It also may explain the parting of ways with Messi.
While the recent World Cup winner’s time at PSG is ending on a sour note — he was fined and suspended for an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia — his move from Barcelona is still considered a success.
In his first season at the French club, Messi is estimated to have earned PSG a profit of about $11 million in commercial partnerships.
As a point of pride, PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi also managed to assemble an array of soccer’s biggest stars into one attack, albeit for a short time. Now comes a shift away from the “bling” to more home-grown talent.
France, after all, has produced some of the best soccer players in history, with Mbappe the latest, and PSG want to capitalize on that.
France won the World Cup in 2018 and only lost to a Messi-led Argentina on penalty kicks in last year’s final. Mbappe was the only PSG player in the France team that started in that final in Qatar.
France’s brightest young stars have headed instead to European clubs like Real Madrid (Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga), Barcelona (Ousmane Dembele, Jules Kounde) and Bayern Munich (Kingsley Coman, Dayot Upamecano).
Coman, who came through at PSG, scored when Bayern knocked his former team out of the Champions League this season.
Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku, who is expected to move to Chelsea in the offseason, was also at PSG. So was another France international, Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby.
Mbappe, who has been a long-term target for Real Madrid, appears to be on board with PSG’s plans because he signed a three-year contract with the club last May. He is certainly “bling” in soccer terms, but he also fits in perfectly with the new strategy of local youth.
There have been moves toward that this season with 17-year-old players Warren Zaire-Emery and El Chadaille Bitshiabu breaking into the first team and playing in the loss to Bayern.
The hiring of a French coach in Christophe Galtier last year was another example of the shift, though it is unclear if he will remain beyond this season with results dropping off in the second half of the campaign.
PSG still lead second-place Marseille by five points in the French league and are on course for a ninth title in the era of Qatari ownership. But it is the club’s failings in the Champions League that have been unacceptable in the face of the huge sums spent on Neymar ($219 million) and Mbappe ($190 million).
That underachievement at the highest level has fed into a general sense that PSG are a collection of individuals, rather than a cohesive team. And the focus of the collective going forward points to an acknowledgement of that.
By comparison, Manchester City, which are backed by Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, have put together arguably the best team in Europe under Pep Guardiola, even if the Champions League still eludes them.
That could change this season with City in the semifinals for the third year in a row.
Messi’s departure from PSG, and maybe Neymar’s, too, could ultimately move the French club a step closer in their mission to finally win the European Cup.
PSG to shift focus following likely exit of Lionel Messi
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PSG to shift focus following likely exit of Lionel Messi
- Barring a sudden change of heart from either side, Messi is set to leave when his current contract expires in a few weeks
- If anything, PSG are slipping further away from the trophy they crave the most after back-to-back eliminations in the round of 16 over the past two seasons
Spanish govt to ‘oversee’ scandal-hit football federation
- The CSD said it will create a “commission of supervision, standardization and representation” led by “independent personalities“
- Former Spain coach and 2010 World Cup winner Vicente del Bosque could be one of the members of this commission
MADRID: The Spanish government decided Thursday to create a commission to “oversee” the country’s scandal-hit football federation (RFEF) and try to pull it out of crisis.
“The Spanish government adopted this decision to redress the serious situation of the RFEF so that the organization could enter a stage of renewal in a stable climate,” the National Sports Council (CSD), an agency dependent on the Ministry of Sports, announced.
Spain are set to host the 2030 World Cup along with Portugal and Morocco, but in recent months the RFEF has lurched from one embarrassment to another.
The CSD said it will create a “commission of supervision, standardization and representation” led by “independent personalities” which will “oversee the RFEF during the coming months in response to the federation’s crisis and in defense of Spain’s general interests.”
According to the Spanish press, former Spain coach and 2010 World Cup winner Vicente del Bosque could be one of the members of this commission.
However, world and European football governing bodies FIFA and UEFA issued a statement expressing “great concern” at the situation around the RFEF.
“FIFA and UEFA will seek additional information to assess the extent to which the CSD’s appointment (of the committee)... may affect the RFEF’s obligation to manage its affairs independently and without undue government interference,” they said.
FIFA suspended Zimbabwe and Kenya’s memberships over government interference in 2022, subsequently lifting the bans.
Former RFEF president Luis Rubiales resigned in disgrace last September after his forcible kiss on the lips of Women’s World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso and is now being investigated in a separate corruption probe.
The only candidate to replace Rubiales, Pedro Rocha, is also being investigated, while a report from the country’s leading sports court said the RFEF had taken decisions “beyond its remit.”
One such decision was the renewal of Spain coach Luis de la Fuente’s contract in February.
It was the sport court’s report that led to Thursday’s CSD decision to oversee the federation.
Elections for the RFEF presidency are currently scheduled for May 6.
The Secretary of State for Sport and CSD president, Jose Manuel Uribes, on Thursday urged the RFEF “to limit its functions to the mere ordinary administration of the entity, as required by law.”
The CSD will meet again next Tuesday to analyze the situation and make a ruling, if necessary, on the corruption case opened by the sports court against Rocha, who took over from Rubiales on an interim basis.
In a year when the RFEF will be responsible for Spain’s teams at the European Championship and the Olympic Games, the Spanish government is aiming “to restore the reputation, the good name and the image of Spanish football and complete the electoral process with a renewed assembly for the 2024-2028 period,” said Uribes in the CSD statement.
“We have to look after what we have in the future, the immediate future, which is the planning of the World Cup,” Uribes said in an appearance at Spain’s Congress of Deputies.
He pledged that the government will do everything to sort out the “unacceptable situation” at the RFEF.
Uribes also said he was “in constant communication with FIFA” regarding the RFEF.
“The CSD is going to guarantee that Spanish football maintains its excellence at the sporting level and also stands out as exemplary at the institutional level,” Uribes insisted on Thursday.
Steven Gerrard discusses football, family, future aspirations
- Young boss advises aspiring players to ‘dream big and work hard every single day’
- Former Liverpool legend holds Zinedine Zidane in high regard, labels him as his hero and ‘best midfielder in the world’
RIYADH: Roshn Saudi League side Al-Ettifaq’s manager Steven Gerrard has called on young players dreaming of a football career to “dream big, picture a dream and then work as hard as you can every day to improve.”
The ex-Liverpool legend, in an exclusive interview with the RSL, advised young footballers to “listen to the right people and every day be extremely motivated and dedicated to reach your dream.”
Gerrard, 43, shared his views on Thursday on various aspects of his life and career, giving his opinions on alternative careers, advice for young players, family life, and his views on leadership.
Opening up about other potential career paths outside football management, the former Liverpool captain said: “I’m very much into sport so I would have tried to have stayed in some sport in some capacity and tried to get a job related to football, or maybe related to a different sport. Growing up, all I wanted to do was watch sport on TV, do sport at school, so I’m very sport orientated.
“I think football is about dreams and memories and experiences, so my advice to (youngsters) is set a dream, set a target and then every single day maximize the opportunities to get better, to learn and to grow and to improve your skills, and reach for the stars.”
Gerrard also spoke about his family life, and said: “When I am not at work or at football, I am very much family orientated.
“I have three daughters and one son, so I am always taking them to different places; always playing football in the garden with my son or taking him to football.
“I am probably a taxi or an Uber driver a lot of the time, taking them to school and picking them up from school. I also help with doing homework and if I get a small bit of time to myself, I like to spend it with my friends.”
Having spent his life in football, Gerrard has had the perfect opportunity to see the top world stars firsthand, and he recalls his favorite three players with ease.
He said: “I would pick Zinedine Zidane (as top player) because he was my hero growing up. In my generation, he was the best midfielder in the world, so I’d pick Zidane and also the two others in my generation were Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. They would be the three I’d pick.”
And how would Gerrard himself like to be remembered? He said: “I want to be remembered as someone who gave everything in terms of 100 percent every single day.
“I was loyal, I was a fighter. I wanted to give all my energy and my efforts for the team that I represented and I was a team player, so I want to be remembered for those values.”
Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq currently sit in seventh place in the RSL and face Al-Raed in their next fixture on April 27.
Aramco, FIFA announce global partnership
- Company becomes major worldwide partner in energy category
- Deal includes sponsorship rights across events including FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027
RIYADH: Aramco on Thursday signed a four-year global partnership with football’s governing body, FIFA, becoming a major worldwide partner in the energy category.
One of the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals companies, Aramco will receive sponsorship rights for multiple events including the FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027, according to the agreement, which runs until the end of 2027.
The deal also builds on a shared commitment to innovation and development, and will combine football’s global reach with Aramco’s history of championing innovation and community engagement.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that the body is “delighted” to welcome Aramco to its family of global partners.
“The partnership will assist FIFA to deliver its flagship tournaments over the next four years and, as is the case with all our commercial agreements, enabling us to provide enhanced support to our 211 FIFA member associations across the globe,” he added.
Aramco has a strong record of supporting world-class events, but also developing grassroots sports initiatives, according to Infantino, who added that FIFA looks forward to collaborating with Aramco on a variety of schemes over the coming years.
“Through this partnership with FIFA, we aim to contribute to football development and harness the power of sport to make an impact around the globe,” said Amin Nasser, Aramco’s president and CEO.
The partnership reflects Aramco’s ambition to enable vibrant communities and extends the company’s backing of sport as a platform for growth, he added.
Through the partnership, Aramco and FIFA will leverage the power of football to create impactful social initiatives around the world.
Aramco will also work with FIFA to drive innovation, identifying opportunities to deploy its expertise and technologies in the delivery of football events globally.
President, fan support key in decision to stay: Barca coach Xavi
- This week, after a meeting with president Joan Laporta and the board, Xavi pulled off a dramatic U-turn and decided to stay
- “It was a not a simple decision, in January I said (I would leave) because I thought it was best for the club,” Xavi told a news conference
BARCELONA: Xavi Hernandez said Thursday he has decided to stay on as Barcelona coach for a “cocktail of reasons,” including support from key figures at the club and supporters.
In January, with Barcelona on a miserable run of form, Xavi said he would walk away from his post in the summer despite having a year left on his contract.
However, this week, after a meeting with president Joan Laporta and the board, Xavi pulled off a dramatic U-turn and decided to stay, despite the club poised to end the season trophyless.
Barcelona were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain last week and lost against Real Madrid in the Clasico, trailing their rivals by 11 points in La Liga.
“It was a not a simple decision, in January I said (I would leave) because I thought it was best for the club,” Xavi told a news conference.
“I am full of hope, these three months have made me change, the players believe in it, and wise people are willing to rectify, here I am.
“It’s not about ego, or money, I have energy, I see the fans are happy and proud — it’s a cocktail of reasons, above all the confidence of the president and (sporting director) Deco.”
Xavi said although the team he took to La Liga glory last season have failed to achieve their objectives, they have now proved they can equal Europe’s best sides.
“Above all I said yesterday to Deco, the president... that the team has improved a lot,” explained Xavi.
“Two years ago we went to Bayern (Munich) and I had the feeling that we weren’t up to it. Now I think we’re in shape to compete with the biggest teams in Europe.
“I have the feeling that this year (the Champions League) escaped us by just a couple of small things, we will try again, I’m excited to — now it’s in our hands.”
Xavi said reports he was only staying because of money were designed to “hurt” him.
In January he claimed coaching Barcelona was “unpleasant” and “cruel,” and Xavi said he did not expect that to change.
“Coaching here is very hard, but I see myself with the energy to keep leading the project,” he added.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta said he was glad Xavi was staying and that it was good for the stability of the club.
“It’s great news that Xavi is staying,” said Laporta.
“The team we have, that is (still) consolidating, with very young players, needs that stability.
“Xavi is a reference for young players and we can see that — today I’m especially pleased, and the board have unanimously supported this decision.”
Atalanta beat 10-man Fiorentina 4-1 to reach Italian Cup final vs. Juventus
- The decisive goal by Ademola Lookman in stoppage time was initially ruled offside. Then the goal was awarded following a VAR review
- The final is scheduled for May 15 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome
BERGAMO, Italy: Atalanta advanced to the Italian Cup final with a 4-1 win over 10-man Fiorentina on Wednesday to set up a meeting with Juventus for the trophy.
The decisive goal by Ademola Lookman in stoppage time was initially ruled offside. Then the goal was awarded following a VAR review.
Teun Koopmeiners, Gianluca Scamacca and Mario Pasalic also scored for Atalanta, while Lucas Martinez Quarta scored for Fiorentina, whO had Nikola Milenkovic sent off early in the second half for a foul on Scamacca.
Atalanta advanced on 4-2 aggregate after Fiorentina won the opening leg 1-0.
Juventus eliminated Lazio on Tuesday.
The final is scheduled for May 15 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Atalanta also face Marseille in the Europa League semifinals as coach Gian Piero Gasperini — who was suspended Wednesday — chases the first trophy of his career. Atalanta eliminated Liverpool in the quarterfinals.
Atalanta’s only top-level trophy was the Italian Cup in 1963.
The aggregate was level at 2-2 when Lookman was whistled for offside after finishing off a counterattack. The crowd at the Gewiss Stadium went wild when the referee pointed to the center circle to award the goal after a video review.
Then Pasalic sealed it for Atalanta.
Earlier, Scamacca scored with an acrobatic overhead goal.
Fiorentina face Club Brugge in the Europa Conference League semifinals.
