PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has stressed it is 'really important' that clubs can 'dream' of playing in the Champions League as Newcastle United plot a return to Europe's top table one day.
Newcastle have not qualified for the Champions League since 2003 and it is worth remembering that it was only a few months ago that Eddie Howe's side were fighting for their lives in the Premier League. Although there is a lot of work to do yet, playing in Europe again and challenging for trophies are the long-term goals of the club's owners.
Getting there won't be straightforward, of course. The landscape has dramatically changed with the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules and UEFA's new financial regulations, which will limit just how much Newcastle can spend, so the Magpies are going to have to be particularly smart in the years to come.
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However, Al-Khelaifi, who is also the chairman of the European Club Association (ECA), wants to ensure that sides like Newcastle can continue to dream after the PSG president opposed the shameless European Super League proposals last year.
"I don't forget where we have come from," he said at the FPF Football Talks conference. "It's really important that the small and medium clubs have this hope to continue and to dream that they can reach the Champions League and compete against the big clubs. Big clubs are not born big clubs; they become big clubs.
"That's so important to let people understand this. There's no clause just for big clubs. Big clubs can be big clubs, but then they can go back again to being medium and small clubs if they don't work hard and the small and medium can also be big clubs. As the ECA, we represent 240 clubs here. The position of the ECA, of myself and my colleagues, is to stand with the small and big clubs."
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