Paris Saint-Germain FC
| Full name | Paris Saint-Germain Football Club |
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| Nickname(s) | PSG | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1904/1970 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Parc des Princes, Paris (Capacity: 48,713) |
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| Chairman |  Charles Villeneuve |
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| Manager | Paul Le Guen |
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| League | Ligue 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007-2008 | Ligue 1, 16th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, or PSG, is a French football club based in Paris. Their home stadium is Parc des Princes, and the team has always played in the French top flight, since its foundation in 1970.
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History
The club was founded 1904 with the name "Stade Saint Germain". The current name appeared in August 1970 by the merger of Paris FC (a pool of financial investors) and Stade Saint-Germain. Gathering funds from nearly 20,000 subscribers, the creation of Paris FC marked the reappearance of a major club in Paris after the demise of R.C. Paris, Red Star and Stade Français (among others).
The union of F.C. Paris and Stade Saint-Germain was motivated by the need to find players, structures, and a place in a higher division, and it resulted in the creation of Paris Saint-Germain Football Club. The new club played in the Division nationale (second division) for the 1970–71 season, emerging as league champions and achieving a first division promotion in their first season.
After finishing 16th in the 1971–72 season and under pressure from the Paris city council to remove the reference to Saint-Germain, the club split in May. The professional part of the club joined C.A. Montreuil and remained in the top division as Paris FC, while the amateur part of the club continued in the third division as Paris Saint-Germain. The latter were promoted to D2 in 1972–73 as champions, following the disqualification of US Le Petit-Quevilly. The following season the club returned to professional status and finished second in the league, winning promotion to the top division in a play-off with Valenciennes FC. In an ironic twist, Paris FC was relegated in that season and Paris-Saint Germain would henceforth always play at the newly rebuilt Parc des Princes, once the ground of the former.
Francis Borelli era (1978-1991)
Francis Borelli took over as club chairman in 1978; under his control, Paris-Saint Germain conquered its first major trophies: two French Cups (1982, 1983) and the 1985-1986 French league.
The most notable players of this period were Carlos Bianchi, Dominique Baratelli, Luis Fernandez, Ivica Surjak, Dominique Bathenay and Dominique Rocheteau first, Safet Susic, Joël Bats, and Gabriel Calderón later, with Georges Peyroche, Gérard Houllier, Lucien Leduc and Tomislav Ivic as some of the coaches.
Canal + era (1991-2006)
In 1991, Borelli was forced to hand over control to Canal+, which invested the team in order to compete with Olympique de Marseille, starting an intense rivalry. After three years, the club enjoyed some success, 1st in 1993 league after Marseille's title was revoked for match fixing AND winning the 1993-1994 league . However, the TV network refused Paris-Saint Germain permission to accept the title relinquished by l'OM after their forced demotion to the second division for corruption. Canal+ feared the reactions of its subscribers in Provence, and even threatened to withdraw from football completely if the title was allocated to Paris-Saint Germain. Therefore, both the League and the Federation accepted and the 1993 title remained “not allotted”. The team were not even allowed by main sponsor to enter the UEFA Champions League after Marseille's exclusion.[1] The club's fortunes in Europe also took an upturn as they won the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1996, beating Rapid Vienna 1-0 in the final. They also reached the following year’s final, only to lose, again 1-0, to FC Barcelona.
During this period, Paris-Saint Germain also fared well in the French Cup, winning it in 1993, 1995, 1998, 2004, and 2006. In addition, they won three French League Cups (1995, 1998 and 2008).
Among the players who were the foundations of this mid-1990s success were Bernard Lama, Alain Roche, Ricardo Gomes, Valdo, David Ginola, George Weah, Raí and Youri Djorkaeff, with coaches such as Artur Jorge and Luis Fernández (who returned to the team as a manager for two stints (1994-96 and 2000-03).
The takeover of the club by Canal+ was gradually carried out. Starting in 1991, it started gaining shares of the club, but it wasn’t until 1997 that the TV channel started to own the majority of them. After June 2001, Canal+ obtained another 34% of the shares, and in August 2005 they obtained the other 2% held by Alain Cayzac, making it Paris-Saint Germain’s only shareholder.
In 1998, after seven years with Michel Denisot in charge, Charles Biétry took over, but resigned after six months leaving the club heavily involved in debt. Paris-Saint Germain were also mis-handling important deals such as the sale of Nicolas Anelka to Arsenal FC, who proceeded to sell the player 2 years later to Real Madrid for €33.2 million. After this era of upheaval, Paris-Saint Germain tried to find balance and stability.
In 2000, Paris-Saint Germain were one of the 14 founder members of G14. During this period, the return of club legend Fernández as manager did not improve the sporting situation, in spite of the talent of players such as Ronaldinho. Meanwhile, the debt of the club had also been multiplied by two.
The duo of Francis Graille and Vahid Halilhodzic were called in to rescue the club, which was forced to slash its expenditure by 40%. In spite of this problem, Paris-Saint Germain had an excellent 2003-2004 season, winning the French Cup and finishing second in the league, which got them into the Champions League.
That season was to be proven more difficult. Paris-Saint Germain were quickly eliminated from Europe's main competition and performed sluggishly in the championship, creating a crisis with the supporters, who were against the policy followed by Canal+. Halilhodzic was fired on February 8, 2005, and replaced by Laurent Fournier, a former midfielder with the club. President Francis Graille was also fired by Canal+ on May 2, 2005, with Pierre Blayau taking over. His pet project, which consisted of repurchasing shares of the club, did not impress Canal+, which reaffirmed its desire to remain in charge of Paris-Saint Germain, despite all the rumours of the progressive disengagement of the majority shareholder.
On December 27, 2005, Fournier was fired by Blayau, even though Paris-Saint Germain were only one point away from second place in Ligue 1 at the time. Guy Lacombe was named as his replacement after Paul Le Guen, who had just guided Olympique Lyonnais to three successive league titles, turned down the post.
On April 11, 2006, Canal+ announced the sale of the club to the American investment company Colony Capital, the French investment company Butler Capital Partners and the American investment bank Morgan Stanley. The club was sold for an undisclosed amount with Canal+ taking responsibility for the debt run up by the club under its direction. This sale became effective on June 20, 2006, following which Alain Cayzac replaced Blayau.
Struggle and the dawn of a new era
Paris-Saint Germain began the 2006-07 season poorly, and headed into the winter break in 16th position in the table. After their second UEFA Cup group match against Hapoel Tel Aviv in Paris on November 24, which they lost 4-2, angry fans (in particular members of the non-recognized independent groups in Boulogne, associated with far-right political ideals which include racism and anti-semitism) used violence as a means of showing their discontent with their team's poor performance. Incensed by the shock defeat, in conjunction with the club's poor domestic league form, and the fact that Paris-Saint Germain were beaten by an Israeli team, a group of supporters chased and threatened a French fan of Hapoel. In response, a lone black policeman came to the rescue, with the crowd reportedly shouting many derogatory phrases towards both the policeman and the fan. After firing warning tear gas shells, the policeman fired his gun twice, killing one perpetrator and wounding another. Following this incident, the lower stand of the Boulogne area of the Parc des Princes was closed for two months.
After a home defeat by Valenciennes on January 15, 2007, Lacombe was sacked and replaced by Le Guen, himself a former Paris-Saint Germain player whose success as Lyon manager had been followed by a poor season with Rangers in Scotland. Le Guen guided Paris-Saint Germain to the UEFA Cup quarter-final, where they were defeated by Portuguese side SL Benfica, and a 15th place finish in the league. Portuguese striker Pauleta again finished the season as the team's league top scorer, netting 15 times.
Paris-Saint Germain opened the 2007-08 season at home to Cup holders FC Sochaux-Montbéliard on August 4 with an unimpressive 0-0 draw. PSG did not concede a goal for the first 249 minutes of the season, a streak broken when Marama Vahirua equalised for FC Lorient in the third matchday, en route to a surprise 3-1 win in Paris.
However, after picking up 7 points in three matches, including away wins to Le Mans and AS Monaco, Paris-Saint Germain moved up to 11th place. After an home loss to Girondins de Bordeaux, Le Guen changed the starting eleven, bringing in homegrown talent such as Mamadou Sakho, Loris Arnaud, Younousse Sankharé and David N'Gog. The latter scored twice in a League Cup victory at Lorient. However, Paris-Saint Germain continued to struggle in the league.
The team rebounded with another impressive League Cup success, this time against Montpellier HSC, with Pauleta scoring both goals, including his 100th goal for the French capital outfit.
Following the international break, Paris-Saint Germain stood in 14th place in the table. When the team returned, they suffered a 2-1 defeat at the Stade du Ray and plunging into the relegation zone. For the December 1, 2007 match at home against SM Caen, both major Parisian supporters groups went "on strike" for the first 15 minutes, making a delayed entrance before encouraging their team. Paris-Saint Germain ultimately lost 1-0, effectively placing the club on "crisis mode".
Even though the club continued to lose momentum in the league (with 6 defeats, 2 draws and 1 win in 9 league outings through March-April, eventually finishing 16th, just three points above relegation zone), it did nonetheless win the 2008 League Cup, and reached the Cup final.The score was 1-0 to Ligue 1 champions Olympique Lyonnais. Paris-Saint Germain torn Lyon's defence ragged for most of the game and had a goal incorrectly ruled off-side. It was scored by Sylvian Armand. Lyon held on to 0-0 after 90 minutes and won the game in Extra Time.
In recent seasons Paris-Saint Germain's form has slipped from a 9th polace position in 2004/2005 and in 2005/2006. In 2006/2007 Paris-Saint Germain did not impress after they didn't even reach the final in either cups and came 15th in the league just 3 places from relegation.
In 2007/2008 PSG finished a place behind where they finished the last season(2006/2007). PSG sat in the relegation zone for most of the season but they dodged out of the relegation zone when they won both of their last two games.
Colours & badge
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The Stade Saint-Germain club played mainly in white until 1970, [2] when they merged with Paris FC and adopted the red and blue colors of Paris combined with the white of Saint-Germain. The first strip design of the fledgling PSG in 1970 was red with white shorts and blue socks,[3] with white and blue trim. The logo of the equipment supplier (Le Coq Sportif) was generally not displayed (depending on shirt) whereas the following season it was, a trend that continued in the future. In another change to the previous season, a solid blue trim with no white appeared, as the white shorts and blue socks remained.
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| From 1973 to 1981, 1994 to 2000 and 2005 to 2006 | ||
Fashion designer Daniel Hechter collaborated with the club in May 1973 to design an iconic shirt which would become a strong symbol of the club. It was composed of a blue shirt with a red central vertical bar framed by white edgings. This shirt was originally in use in 1973-1974 in Division 2. [4] The tone and shade of the red and blue has changed over time, as has the dimension and alignment of the red central band. This shirt is in use to the present day, despite proposed implementations of new designs, with the main reason being the supporters' rejection. A reversed version (red with a blue central vertical bar) was in use as the away shirt design in the late 70s.
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| From 1981 to 1990 | ||
Borelli succeeded Hechter, and was the first to try to replace the former design, with a predominantly white shirt decorated with two fine red and blue vertical bands.[5] Initially the away shirt, the white design became the home shirt in 1981; Hechter's blue shirt becoming the away design. In 1990, a stylized Eiffel Tower design replaced the vertical bars; this shirt remained in use for two seasons and represented the change between the Borelli and Canal+ eras. In 1992-1993, the club adopted a white shirt with blue shoulders.
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| From 2002 to 2005 | ||
The white design was abandoned in 1993 in favour of a red and blue shirt, which was quickly replaced in 1994 with a return to Hechter's design. The collar design varied, but the colours remained identical until 2000. From then, the blue was replaced in favour of navy blue and the white edgings disappeared, causing the supporters' anger.[6] Risking backlash from supporters, the club once again modified the shirt in 2001, reducing the width of the vertical red bar and moving the alignment from the centre to the left. In 2002, the white edgings made their reappearance around the red band which was still thinner and aligned to the left. This shirt design was kept for three seasons. In 2005, the club returned to the 'historical' shirt. In 2006, the red band was reduced in width again, but remained central. The current home design harks back to the more traditional wide central red band, although the strip now incorporates red shorts and socks.
The away shirt was mainly white before 1981, then again from 1993. Between these two dates, the blue/red home design was used. A grey and white shirt (1999-2000) and a crimson shirt (2006-2007) have also been used as away shirts. Currently the away strip consists of a white shirt, shorts and socks. The red band mirrors that of the home design.
Le Coq Sportif were the original equipment supplier from 1970 to 1975. Adidas took over for the 1975-76 season, before a return to the first brand for 1976-1977. Pony was the supplier in 1977-78, before another joint effort with Le Coq Sportif, from 1978 to 1986. Adidas returned until 1989, at which point Nike took over supply duties, and they remain the equipment supplier to the present day. [7]
Supporters
PSG are known to draw their support from both far-right white nationalists and a cross-section of Ile De France's multi-ethnic population. The Boulogne Boys now stand at the Boulogne end of the Parc des Princes are the far-right white nationalists. The Boulogne Boys have been fighting other PSG fans for years. There has been a large rise in football violence and mostly down to PSG supporters. In 2006 a motorway service station near Nantes was destroyed as two PSG groups clashed using baseball bats, and in the 2005 season Auxerre police had the bizarre sight of PSG fans fighting each other within their own enclosure. Similar clashes since then in Toulouse, Lens and Paris. One fan said to the BBC "Most of the people are just here to support the team - I don't think the violence comes from supporters, just stupid guys from both sides, here to fight, they should just go and fight on a field, not at the Parc des Princes. PSG chairman Pierre Blayau told the BBC that "while the club is doing all it can, it is reaching the limit of its powers, we could do still more in the way of education, we could launch still more anti-discrimination campaigns, to explain why football should remain entertainment, driven by values of mutual respect But there comes a point where the individuals who behave badly and cross the line - and I mean individuals, they're not supporters - become delinquents, both in our eyes and those of the authorities. In that case, the club doesn't have the powers of the police or the judiciary". After inflammatory banners that said that Lens fans were "pedophiles and inbred" were displayed at a game at the Stade de France the Boulogne Boys were told by the French Interior Minister this year that the they must disband or they will face jail time.
Club badges
Ownership
In 1991 PSG was purchased by the French media company Canal Plus. In April 2006 it was sold to a consortium of investment companies consisting of U.S. firms Morgan Stanley and Colony Capital and Butler of France for a reported sum of 41 million euros [8].
Team honours
- Ligue 1 Championnat de France
- Champions : 1986, 1994
- Coupe de France
- Winners : 1982, 1983, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2004, 2006
- Coupe de la Ligue
- Winners : 1995, 1998, 2008
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
- Winners : 1996
- UEFA Intertoto Cup
- Winners : 2001
- Trophée des Champions
- Winners : 1995, 1998
- Ligue 2
- Champions : 1971
Club officials
Board of Directors
- Chairman: Charles Villeneuve
- Managing Director: Phillipe Boindrieux
- Directors: Jean-Philippe D'Hallivillee (Communications) , Alain Roche (Recruitment) , Eric Rolland (Medical) , Stéphane Thuillier (Marketing)
Management
- Manager: Paul Le Guen
- Assistant Manager: Yves Colleu
- Fitness Coach: Stéphane Wiertelak
- Goalkeeping Coach: Christian Mas
- Physios: Joël Le Hir, Bruno Lenatur, Pascal Roche
- Scouts: Eric Pecout, Pierre Reynaud
Academy Coaching Staff
- Director of Youth Academy: Bertrand Reuzeau
- Reserves Coach: Bertrand Reuzeau
- 18's Coach: David Bechkoura
- 16's Coach: Jean-Luc Vasseur
- 14's Coach: Cédric Cattenoy
- 13's Coach: Thierry Sébastien
- Goalkeeping Coach: Eric Leroy
- Physio: Cédric Dupuis, Gaël Pasquier
Players
Current squad
As of August 23, 2008[9]
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Out on loan
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Notable former players
- See also: Complete list of former/current Paris Saint-Germain FC players
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List of managers
References
External links
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