Paris Saint-Germain are set to escape serious UEFA sanctions despite incurring significant losses due to their sustained overspending across recent seasons.
The perennial French champions have lost more than €600 million (£528m) since 2019, but European football’s governing body will reportedly not place any immediate measures on them this summer. France's national sports newspaper L’Equipe reported last week that sanctions are unlikely to arise for another three seasons (before 2025/26).
PSG are owned by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), a subsidiary of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the state's sovereign-wealth fund. QSI were reportedly interested in investing in Manchester United before Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani's Nine Two Foundation made their indicative offer.
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In a statement confirming that initial proposal, Sheikh Jassim made clear 'the bid plans to return the club to its former glories both on and off the pitch. Investment 'in the football teams, the training centre, the stadium and wider infrastructure, the fan experience, and communities the club supports' is also mentioned.
While the Qatari banker also stresses any takeover would be 'completely debt free', such investment would likely incur significant losses to realise these stated ambitions. PSG, therefore, may provide an indication of the operational approach a Sheikh Jassim-owned United could follow.
The Parisian club received a paltry €10m financial penalty from UEFA after reaching a settlement deal last summer that outlined financial targets to meet over the following three years as part of newly introduced sustainability regulations, the football earnings rule, to replace financial fair play (FFP).
United have invested similar sums to PSG as of late, more than £200 million in the first-team squad alone during the summer transfer window. Spending was reigned in during January, with football director John Murtough stressing the club's need to "remain financially disciplined and compliant with FFP rules", but these recent reports may well embolden any prospective owner to push ahead with their plans in the face of such meagre punishments.
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