Paris Saint-Germain might be Qatari-owned, runaway Ligue 1 leaders, unbeaten all season and an outside bet for this season’s Champions League, but they are still battling to win over Qatari fans.
The French champions were on a winter tour in Doha, a four-day visit combining training sessions, public-relations work and a friendly against Serie A leaders Inter in front of a sell-out crowd.
The club have been Qatari-owned since 2011, when Qatar Sports Investments became the majority shareholder, in a deal thought to be worth about 50 million euros (US$54.6 million).
Photo: AFP
It made PSG not only the richest club in France, but one of the wealthiest in the world, pushing them into competition for a worldwide fanbase with clubs such as Barcelona, Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
However, winning over fans — even in the country where the club is now owned — is proving considerably more difficult than winning the Ligue 1 title. And as on the pitch, off it, in Qatar at least, PSG are in a battle to overcome the Spanish giants of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
“They [PSG] are not the most popular because they have just been around for five years,” says Mohamed Majdi Al-Jozali, a Qatari soccer fan.
The 23-year-old civil engineer — “Qatar’s biggest AC Milan fan” — was speaking after a PSG training session.
Wearing a yellow Swedish national team shirt with the name “Ibrahimovic” emblazoned on the back, Jozali said it would take time and success for PSG to become the No. 1 team in Qatar.
“I think we should give them some time and a lot of people will get on the bandwagon, but, for sure, Barcelona and Real Madrid are ... probably the two best clubs in history and there is a lot of deep football fans in this country and that is why they choose to support these clubs,” he said.
Talk to any random Qatari soccer fan and it is more than likely they will tell you they support Barcelona.
There is a Qatari Barcelona supporters’ club and the Catalan side has just signed a contract to set up its first themed cafe in Doha.
In contrast, PSG have just announced their first local supporters club on this trip, officials said.
It has even been suggested that one of the reasons domestic Qatari leagues games are poorly attended is because super-rich locals spend their money flying to Spain to watch games there.
A visit to one of Doha’s biggest sports shops this week and an inquiry about which soccer shirts sell the most, brought a simple answer: “Barcelona.”
Asked if PSG shirts sell well, the same shop assistant smiled and simply said “No.”
Barcelona also have a local connection, being sponsored by Qatar Airways, but Jozali said the club’s history and tradition is something that appeals to Qataris.
Mansoor Mohamed al-Ansari, the general secretary of the Qatar Football Association, told reporters that support for the club among Qataris is growing.
“Of course, I believe that all Qataris feel that they have a sense of belonging to the team due to the fact that it is a Qatari-owned club. And most Qataris are also new fans of the club as well,” he said.
There does seem to be one way though for PSG to make themselves the most popular club in Qatar: win the Champions League.
“They have to prove themselves first,” Jozali said. “First off, by winning the Champions League, it would definitely get them more fans because the Champions League is ... the biggest stage of football every year.”
On Wednesday, teenager Jean-Kevin Augustin scored the only goal as PSG rounded off last year with victory against Inter.
The 18-year-old slotted home the winner from an acute angle just a minute before halftime, following fine work from midfielder Marco Verratti.
The result was just reward for PSG’s dominant display, although they were made to work in a game that brought the curtain down on their tour.
Despite being a friendly, both sides could have scored several times and there was enough entertainment for the 11,628 spectators.
Augustin, who had played only six times for PSG before Wednesday, could also have scored after just 36 seconds, missing a great chance by blazing over when clean through on goal.
Star draw Ibrahimovic, booed by some Inter fans, also went close, forcing a fine save from Samir Handanovic in the 13th minute.
However, despite their dominance of possession, PSG were opened up several times by Inter and the Italian side almost broke the deadlock in the 18th minute when Martin Montoya was denied by Kevin Trapp.
Closest of all before the goal though was Verratti who thundered a shot against the bar in the 29th minute, with Handanovic well beaten.
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