Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, reaffirmed in Le Parisien that the City of Paris, owner of the Parc des Princes, refuses to sell the stadium to Paris Saint-Germain, but remains open to its expansion. This stance reopens the debate on the club’s future at its historic stadium, and the attachment of fans to this emblematic venue. Pierre Rabadan, deputy mayor for sport, also raised the subject of expansion.
Hidalgo: “Our door is always open for expansion”.
“Our door is always open for an expansion of the Parc des Princes, which is owned by the City of Paris. To sell, no, but to expand, yes!“ said the politician, who ”wants PSG to continue playing at the Parc des Princes”, the soccer club’s historic stadium. “Saturday night’s match once again demonstrated the attachment of an entire city to the Parc and the magic that happens there during major matches, even with a big-screen broadcast.”
Rabadan “Legal arrangements are possible”.
“The fact that the city remains the owner does not prevent the club from carrying out work. Legal arrangements are possible, in particular a long-term lease enabling PSG to invest there and benefit from it for several decades”, said Pierre Rabadan, Anne Hidalgo’s deputy sports director.
The debate is endless and tasteless. The same positions have been maintained for months, and yet we keep talking about it. The city doesn’t want to sell, the club doesn’t want to rent, end of story. We’ve got to stop this media bickering.
The club wants its own stadium, and after 14 years in Paris, it even seems logical. The current mayor of Paris doesn’t want to lose the heritage that the Parc des Princes represents. Fans are attached to the stadium, but it seems that the future lies elsewhere.
It will obviously take time to get the message across, but at this stage, no solution is in sight. In fact, is the club still discussing this possibility? It’s doubtful.
