Jean-Michel Aulas spoke on RMC’s Bartoli Time program on Sunday. In particular, he spoke out in defense of Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, the victim of attacks from Olympique Lyonnais president John Textor. Aulas recalled that he himself had been harsh with PSG and Al-Khelaïfi, but that he was reassured to see that things had been done properly. He insists that the Parisian president has saved French soccer.
Aulas “I’m convinced that PSG will succeed”.
Today, French soccer is organized on a centralized basis. The weight of PSG and Qatar is enormous, for want of any other solution. This is the solution that allows the French championship to function and to have a team capable of winning the Champions League. I’m convinced PSG can do it. It’s a situation where PSG and Nasser (Al-Khelaïfi) are omnipresent. He’s very competent.
Aulas: “It was he and beIN Sports who saved the French championship”.
15 years ago, I said it might be too dangerous to be too dependent on a single club. Since then, things have gone well. Nasser has done well for the championship, and he’s chairman of the ECA. I held important positions for many years. He’s also at UEFA, very close to Aleksander Ceferin. He has the skills to do what he does for PSG and the championship (…) It was he and beIN Sports who saved the French championship.
Aulas “If Qatar, PSG and beIN weren’t present, we’d have more difficulties”.
The competitiveness of a championship always has popular virtues. Everyone can have a certain number of ideas. Today, fortunately, this is not the case in the French championship. If Qatar, PSG and beIN weren’t present, we’d have more difficulties.”
Who would have thought that Aulas could come as Nasser Al-Khelaïfi’s saviour? Nobody a few years ago. Yet PSG works well, there are no inordinate discrepancies despite the huge difference in budget between the teams. There’s a respect for Financial Fair Play and a club that’s building itself up little by little.
Aulas also sees this message as a good opportunity to take a dig at John Textor, who has not always treated him well. The words are strong, especially when he calls the Parisian president a “savior”, but it has to be said that PSG is often disparaged and rarely supported, despite the work it has done to put Ligue 1 in the spotlight, not to mention the UEFA points it brings home every season.
