During this winter’s Champions League double-header between Stade Brestois and Paris Saint-Germain (0-3, 0-7), SB29 president Denis Le Saint (60) shared a revealing anecdote about the elegance and attentiveness of PSG president Nasser al-Khelaïfi. Despite a crushing defeat, the Breton manager has fond memories of the Parisian welcome, praising a gesture that went beyond mere protocol.
Le Saint “Already, the attention, I was a little surprised”.
When you have dinner in Paris with President Nasser (al-Khelaïfi), the protocol includes exchanging gifts,” reported the Breton president this evening. Already, the tablecloth was red and white, the dessert in the name of Stade Brestois. He had asked that the meal be made with products from our company. I was already a little surprised by the attention. Afterwards, when we left the place where we were having lunch, he took our gifts, accompanied us downstairs, and said to me: “How do you get home? Well, the hotel is 300 meters away… We walk home. No, you’re not walking home.
Le Saint “All this to say that the great ones know how to do it”.
He calls the van, a guy comes down, takes our presents, puts them in the trunk, and says, “Get in the van. We tell him we’ve only got 300 meters to walk… Then he climbs in with us and drops us off at the front door. He didn’t have to. All that to say that the very old know how to do it. And all I want to do now is always give the other team a warm welcome.
Nasser Al-Khelaïfi isn’t always spoken of in glowing terms, but in Qatar’s strategy, being well received is also proof of adaptation. PSG knows how to deal with opponents, and Le Saint is not the first to single out the PSG president and the Parisian club in his approach.
Of course, this doesn’t hide the troubled areas, but it’s also important to recognize that PSG has been trying to build up a good image in recent years, at a time when the club was often criticized by opponents. Le Saint gives a strong testimony, which gives a lot of meaning to the idea that PSG wants to make Ligue 1 and soccer in France grow by behaving in a classy way during confrontations.
