Paris Saint-Germain F.C.

Paris Saint-Germain

Full name	Paris Saint-Germain Football Club
Nickname(s)	PSG, Paris SG, Les Rouge-et-Bleu, Les Parisiens
Founded	12 August 1970
Ground	Parc des Princes, Paris (Capacity: 48,713)
Owner	Colony Capital Butler Capital Partners
Chairman	Robin Leproux
Manager	Antoine Kombouaré
League	Ligue 1
2009–10	L1, 13th
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (French pronunciation: [paʁi sɛ̃ ʒɛʁmɛ̃]), also known simply as Paris Saint-Germain and familiarly as Paris SG or PSG (IPA: [peɛsʒe]) is a professional football club based in Paris, France. It was founded on August 12, 1970, thanks to the merger of Paris FC (a pool of financial investors) and Stade Saint-Germain. After 20,000 subscriptions from individuals desperate to see an elite football club in Paris, a group of local businessmen, led by Guy Crescent, CEO of Calberson and Pierre-Étienne Guyot, Vice-president of RCF Paris, asked the directors of Stade Sangermanois to become part of their project. The creation of Paris Saint-Germain F.C. marked the reappearance of a major club in Paris after the decline of Racing Paris, Red Star, Stade Français and CA Paris. The club's motto is "Paris Est Magique" (Paris Is Magic). The official PSG anthem is Allez Paris Saint-Germain by Les Parisiens.^[1]

Paris Saint-Germain has been playing in the Ligue 1 since 1974, the current championship record. The capital club is one of the most prestigious outfits in French football having won two League titles, seven French Cups, three League Cups and two Champions Trophies. PSG is, with Olympique de Marseille, one of only two French clubs to have won a European competition, claiming the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1996 and the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2001.^[2] In 1994, Paris was ranked 1^st in the Club World Ranking made by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics,^[3] and in 1996, Les Rouge-et-Bleu were also ranked 1^st in the UEFA coefficient of Top Clubs.^[4] The capital club is the only French club to ever achieve these honours. As of 30 July 2010, the club is ranked 109^th.^[5]

The club's stadium is the Parc des Princes, the third largest stadium in France with a capacity of 48,713 seats. It has been Paris Saint-Germain's stadium since 1974.^[6] The Camp des Loges has been operating as a training center for the club since 1974.^[7] On April 11, 2006, the club was bought by a consortium comprising American investment company Colony Capital, French investment company, Butler Capital Partners, and American investment bank, Morgan Stanley.^[8] On 30 June 2009, Colony Capital acquired all the shares of Morgan Stanley, becoming owners of 95% of the club.^[9]

Paris Saint-Germain's traditional colours are a blue shirt with a red central vertical bar framed by white edgings. It was designed by fashion designer Daniel Hechter, who collaborated with the club to design the iconic shirt which would become a strong symbol of the club. This shirt was first used between 1973 and 1974 in Division 2. The current badge was adopted in 2002. The logo consists of a red silhouette of the Eiffel Tower with the royal white cradle of Louis XIV underneath it and a blue background.^[10]

Paris Saint-Germain enjoys a considerable amount of popularity; about 11% of the French population support the club. PSG is the second most popular football club in France after Olympique de Marseille.^[11] Their average home gate for the 2009–10 season was 33,266, the fourth highest in the Ligue 1.^[12] PSG fans are known as Les Parisiens. The club shares an intense rivalry with Olympique de Marseille and contest the most notorious football match in France, known as Le Classique.^[13][14]

As of April 2010, Paris Saint-Germain is the third richest club in France after Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique de Marseille.^[15] The club was also one of the 14 founder members of the now-defunct G-14 group of the leading European football clubs and is member of its modern replacement, the European Club Association. PSG also operates a reserve team and a female section since 1971.^[16]

History

The Cup Winners' Cup trophy, PSG's most prestigious honour.

Paris Saint-Germain Football Club was established on 12 August 1970 after a merger between Stade Saint-Germain and a group of investors united under the banner of virtual club Paris FC, and have always represented both Paris and nearby Saint-Germain-en-Laye. And with so many people eager to see a big club wearing the capital's colours once again, the nascent team grew at a stunning pace early on. Top-tier status was attained within four years and by the end of the 70's, Les Rouge-et-Bleu were ready to embark upon a historic decade. PSG tasted French Cup honours in 1982 and 1983, before capturing their first league crown in 1986 - breakthroughs that opened the doors to Europe and some memorable encounters, particularly with Juventus in 1983 and 1989.

PSG players celebrate winning the French Cup.

As significant as those successes were, however, the 90's proved even more fruitful, with Paris Saint-Germain entering a golden age after television giants Canal+ bought the club in May 1991. Now enjoying serious investment, the capital outfit were able to set their sights steadily higher. Paris were on the move and between 1992 and 1998 they contested two UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals – winning in 1996 – reached the UEFA Champions League semifinals once and twice advanced to the same stage of the UEFA Cup. On the domestic scene, results were just as satisfying, with PSG celebrating another League title, three French Cups, two League Cups and just as many Champions Trophy wins.

To the considerable chagrin of the club's supporters, Paris Saint-Germain has never threatened to hit those same heights again. Three more trophies have been landed but crisis has never lain far away. In recent seasons, PSG's form has slipped to 9th position in 2004–05 and in 2005–06. In 2006–07, they did not impress, failing to reach either cup final and finishing 15th in the league, just three places from relegation.

Installed in January 2007, coach Paul Le Guen has made it his mission to rebuild Paris following their sale by Canal+. However, the club continued to lose momentum in the league eventually finishing in 16th position, just three points above the relegation zone. It nonetheless won the 2008 League Cup, and reached the French Cup final, losing 1–0 to Ligue 1 champions Olympique Lyonnais.

In the 2008–09 season, although PSG finished 6th in the league and out of European action, the club regain fitness and struggled for the title the most part of the season. The 2009–10 season, became the first time in French football history that both the male and female sections of a club won both the country's national cups. The male section of Paris Saint-Germain claimed the French Cup while the female section landed the Challenge de France.^[17]

Players

Player Matches   Jean-Marc Pilorget 435   Safet Sušić 343   Paul Le Guen 343   Bernard Lama 315   Mustapha Dahleb 306 Player  Goals    Pauleta 110   Dominique Rocheteau  100   Mustapha Dahleb 98   François M'Pelé 97   Safet Sušić 85   Raí 72   Carlos Bianchi 71

Jean Djorkaeff, captain of the French national football team, joined Paris Saint-Germain in June 1970. He became the first licensed professional player of the club and was PSG's captain for two seasons until the split between the Parisians and the Sangermanois in May 1972.

Under the presidency of Daniel Hechter, Paris Saint-Germain shocked everyone in France, paying Sedan a record 1.3m francs for Argelian star Mustapha Dahleb in 1974. He became the club's top scorer in the league with 85 goals and third top scorer in all competitions with 98 goals. Moumous formed a formidable striking partnership alongside Congolese striker François M'Pelé. The latter scored 97 goals in all competitions. In 1977, Argentinian star, Carlos Bianchi, arrived to the capital and in his first season he scored 37 goals in 38 league matches. El Goleador spent two seasons at the capital, recording 71 goals with two awards for top scorer of the Division 1.^[18]

Pauleta, PSG's all-time top scorer.

During the presidency of Francis Borelli, the likes of Dominique Bathenay, Jean-Marc Pilorget, Dominique Rocheteau, Ivica Šurjak and Safet Sušić were the club's stars. Dominique Bathenay joined the club in 1978 and became the leader of the defense and the captain until 1985. In 1980 the club signed Dominique Green Angel Rocheteau, the best striker in France at the time. He scored 100 goals with Paris Saint-Germain's jersey, becoming the club's all-time top scorer. Jean-Marc Pilorget, who played 435 matches for Paris, became the club's all-time most capped player. Safet Sušić was the most emblematic foreign player. The Yugoslav international scored 85 goals and made a record 61 assists for PSG between 1982 and 1991. Ivica Šurjak was another notable player thanks in part to his two assists during the 1982 French Cup final.

With the arrival of Canal + in 1991, many leading players signed for Paris Saint-Germain: the French internationals Laurent Fournier, David Ginola, Paul Le Guen, Bernard Lama, Vincent Guérin, Alain Roche and Youri Djorkaeff, Brazilian internationals Ricardo, Valdo, Leonardo and Raí, and Italian international Marco Simone, joined French internationals Daniel Bravo and Antoine Kombouaré, key players who saw the end of the Borelli era and the beginning of the Canal + era. But perhaps the greatest talent of all was prolific Liberian marksman George Weah, who followed in the footsteps of PSG's many fine strikers by firing 55 goals in 138 games. Weah would eventually won the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year in 1995.

After the presidency of Michel Denisot (1991–1998), the arrivals included the French international Nicolas Anelka, the Nigerian international Jay-Jay Okocha, the Argentine internationals Gabriel Heinze and Juan Pablo Sorín, the Brazilian international Ronaldinho and Portuguese striker Pauleta. Ronaldinho became the star of the capital club and a fan favourite. But in 2003, he left the club after Paris Saint-Germain failed to qualify for any European competition. Pauleta, who scored 110 goals for Paris, became the club's all-time top scorer.

On 2 February 2010, France Football chose Safet Sušić as the best player in the club's history ahead of Mustapha Dahleb and Luis Fernández, who completed the podium.^[19]

Managers

Paris Saint-Germain have had 36 managers with 27 being full-time managers since the appointment of the club's first professional manager, Pierre Phelipon in 1970. The most successful manager is Luis Fernández with five major trophies won: one French Cup, one League Cup, one Champions Trophy, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, and one UEFA Intertoto Cup. He is also the club's longest-serving manager in terms of games with 244 matches. While Fernández and Georges Peyroche are the club's longest-serving managers in terms of time, both with 5 years in charge.

Antoine Kombouaré is Paris Saint-Germain's current manager,^[20] replacing Paul Le Guen, whose contract was not renewed in May 2009.^[21]

Only managers who have won at least one trophy are mentioned.^[22]

Antoine Kombouaré, current manager of the club.

As of 4 August 2010 (2010 -08-04)^[update].

Name	Period	Matches	Won	Drawn	Lost	Trophies											Total
						Domestic					International
						L1	L2	CF	CL	TC	UCL	CWC	UEL	UIC	USC	FCWC
Pierre Phelipon	1970–72	74	30	22	22	-	1971	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-		1
Georges Peyroche	1979–83, 1984–85	210	101	46	63	-	-	1982, 1983	-	-	-	-	-	-	-		2
Gérard Houllier	1985–87, 1988	122	55	33	34	1986	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-			1
Artur Jorge	1991–94, 1998–99	167	84	53	30	1994	-	1993	-	-	-	-	-	-			2
Luis Fernández	1994–96, 2000–03	244	125	61	58	-	-	1995	1995	1995	-	1996	-	2001			5
Ricardo Joël Bats	1996–98	106	54	24	28	-	-	1998	1998	-	-	-	-	-			2
Alain Giresse	1998	11	4	2	5	-	-	-	-	1998	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Vahid Halilhodžić	2003–05	80	36	27	17	-	-	2004	-	-	-	-	-	-			1
Guy Lacombe	2005–07	55	18	21	16	-	-	2006	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Paul Le Guen	2007–09	129	57	32	40	-	-	-	2008	-	-	-	-	-			1
Antoine Kombouaré	2009–	47	18	13	16	-	-	2010	-	-	-	-	-	-			1
Total	1970–2010	1245	582	334	329	2	1	8	3	2	0	1	0	1	0	0	18

Presidents

Paris Saint-Germain have had 15 presidents since the appointment of the club's first president, Pierre-Étienne Guyot in 1970. The longest-running president is Francis Borelli with 13 years in charge (1978–1991). Michel Denisot is the most successful president with nine major trophies won: one League, three French Cups, two League Cups, two Champions Trophies, and one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. In addition, the PSG Association has known three chairmen since 1991.

Robin Leproux is Paris Saint-Germain's current President, replacing Sébastien Bazin.^[23] Simon Tahar has been Chairman of the PSG Association since 2006.

Presidents ^[24]

As of 20 November 2009 (2009 -11-20)^[update].

"Wall of Honor" inside the Parc des Princes.

Presidents of Paris Saint-Germain
1970–71 Pierre-Étienne Guyot  1971 Guy Crescent 1971–74 Henri Patrelle 1974–78 Daniel Hechter 1978–91 Francis Borelli 1991–98 Michel Denisot 1998 Charles Biétry 1998–03 Laurent Perpère	2003–05 Francis Graille 2005–06 Pierre Blayau 2006–08 Alain Cayzac 2008 Simon Tahar 2008–09 Charles Villeneuve 2009 Sébastien Bazin 2009– Robin Leproux

PSG Association ^[24]

As of 20 November 2009 (2009 -11-20)^[update].

PSG Association
1991–01 Bernard Brochand  2001–06 Alain Cayzac 2006– Simon Tahar

Le Classique

PSG 1–3 OM (15-03-2009).

Le Classique (French pronunciation: [lə klasik], The Classic) is a football match contested between French top-flight clubs Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Marseille. The term Le Classique is modeled on the El Clásico, which is contested between Real Madrid and Barcelona. Like all the game's major rivalries, the antipathy between PSG and OM extends outside the pitch. The rivalry comes about as Paris and Marseille are the two largest cities in France, and the duo are the most successful and influential football clubs in the country.

These meetings became important at the end of the 80's and since then receives considerable media attention especially for incidents which occur on and around the ground. At the beginning of the nineties, Canal + started to promote near the general public confrontations between the two clubs, making these matches of interest for all French football fans. Off the pitch, the tension between Marseille and Paris fans is legendary, and both clubs' world-class stadia, the Stade Vélodrome and the Parc des Princes, respectively, are renowned for the white-hot atmosphere and fervent fans. More and more, the various groups of Marseille and Parisian supporters have hated and battled each other. Important security measures are taken to prevent confrontations between the supporters of the two sides. However, many incidents still occur between the supporters everytime the duo meet.

Paris and Marseille are the most prestigious outfits in French football having won eleven Ligue 1 titles, eighteen French Cups, four League Cups, and four Champions Trophy. Both clubs are also the only French clubs to have won European trophies, as PSG claimed the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1996 and the Intertoto Cup in 2001, while l'OM landed the UEFA Champions League in 1993 and the Intertoto Cup in 2005. The duo were the two dominant forces before the appearance of Olympique Lyon at the beginning of the 21^st century, but despite their recent ups and downs, PSG and OM remain, along with Saint-Étienne, the only French clubs with a truly nationwide, faithful and passionate fan base, giving the country's biggest match a special atmosphere.^[13][14]

Crest

1970–72 1972–82 & 1990–92 1982–90 1986–87 (for the Olympic Games in Paris in 1992) 1992–96 1996–02 since 2002 Coat of arms of Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Paris Saint-Germain's first logo appeared in 1970 and was used until 1972 when Paris FC split from Stade Saint-Germain, who kept with the name of Paris Saint-Germain. That same year, the logo was changed to the current one with the Eiffel Tower and the royal cradle underneath it. This logo was first used as merchandising, but then it was adopted as the emblem of the club until the arrival of Daniel Hechter in 1982. Hechter maintained the logo but added an image of the Parc des Princes underneath it. The new crest would last until 1990, when Canal + bought the club. Between 1986 and 1987, PSG adopted the logo of the Paris bid to host the 1992 Summer Olympics.

In 1992, two years after the arrival of Canal +, the club's crest was completely changed, dropping Hechter's design and creating a new one, with the acronym PSG and underneath it Paris Saint-Germain. This new design, mainly used for the direction of the club's communication, would last until 1996. Despite this, the Eiffel Tower logo was present in PSG's shirt. The club's current logo was unveiled for the first time in 1996. Following Hechter's design, the logo was slightly changed and given a more modern touch. The club's name and date of foundation were added above the Eiffel Tower and underneath the royal cradle respectively. In 2002, the crest suffered, once again, slight changes in its colours.

The current logo consists of a red silhouette of the Eiffel Tower with a royal white cradle underneath it and a blue background. PSG's logo represents Paris in its employment of the Eiffel Tower, and Saint-Germain-en-Laye through the berceau royale, or royal cradle, taken from its coat of arms. Louis XIV was born in the Château de Saint-Germain (the city's coat of arms consequently shows a cradle and the date of his birth). This reference to Louis XIV in the club's badge is very important because he increased the power and influence of France over Europe, thus the country achieving political, military and cultural power that contributed to the prestige of France, its population and language. Also the club's crest, reflects the merger of Paris FC and Stade Saint-Germain, into a new club. This is similar to the way United in English football reflects the merger of two or more clubs into a new one (e.g., Manchester United, Newcastle United).^[10]

Colours

The Stade Saint-Germain club played mainly in white until 1970, 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 Paris Saint-Germain in 1970 was red with white shorts and blue socks, 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. In May 1973, fashion designer Daniel Hechter collaborated with the club 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 first used between 1973 and 1974 in Division 2. 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 70's. After 1975, Le Coq Sportif, PSG's first equipment supplier, stepped away and Adidas took over from 1975 to 1976 season, before a return to the first brand between 1976 and 1977. Pony was the supplier between 1977 and 1978, before another joint effort with Le Coq Sportif, from 1978 to 1986.

1970–73

1973–74

1974–75

1975–77

1977–78

1978–82

1982–92

1992–93

1993–94

1994–00

Francis 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. Initially the away shirt, the white design became the home shirt in 1981; Hechter's blue shirt becoming the away design. Borelli's white shirt was used, as the first kit, for the first time on 6 October 1981, in a match between PSG and US Valenciennes. The away shirt was mainly white before 1981, then again from 1993. Between these two dates, the red and blue design was used as the away shirt. Adidas returned until 1989, at which point Nike took over supply duties, and they remain the equipment supplier to the present day. 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. Between 1992 and 1993, the club adopted a white shirt with blue shoulders.

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.^[25] Meanwhile, a grey and white shirt, between 1999 and 2000, was used as away shirt. 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. A crimson shirt, between 2006 and 2007, was used as away shirt.

2000–01

2001–02

2002–04

2004–05

2005–06

2006-07

2007–08

2008-09

2009–10

2010–

For the 2009–10 season, the club have introduced a new design which consists of a navy top with red pinstripes. Although, it had PSG's traditional home colours of Navy Blue the shirt featured red pinstripes running down the shirt and sleeves, dropping the club's 'historical' shirt and causing some controversy amongst the fans, as it strays away from the more traditional blue shirt with a central red vertical stripe trimmed with white. The away shirt was mostly white. The shirt featured a blue and red polkadott pattern around the whole shirt. There was a red piping around the ends of the sleeves and collars.^[26] The 2010-11 season marked Paris Saint-Germain's 40th anniversary and the shirt commemorated this fact by reverting back to the club's original colours. The new shirts presented a special badge conmemorating PSG's 40th anniversary. A golden embroidery encircled the shield with the traditional dates 1970 and 2010. The home shirt was mainly solid red, the original colour of the club. Across the body of the shirt there was a watermark of the letter ‘PSG 1970′. In this season, the club returned to the 'historical' shirt. The away shirt had PSG's traditional colors and included graphic details directly inspired by the architecture of the Parc des Princes. It featured a navy blue base with a red vertical band in the middle of the chest and two thinner white zigzagging stripes around the band that recalled the architecture of the stadium's roof. Additionally, the chosen colors and their alternation (blue-white-red-white-blue) honored the club's original graphic codes and dropped Daniel Hechter's legendary model.^[27]

Ownership & Finances

Paris Saint-Germain was managed by Daniel Hechter (1974–1978) and Francis Borelli (1978–1991), before being purchased by the French media company Canal+ in 1991. The takeover of the club by Canal+ happened gradually. The TV channel started buying shares in the club in 1991, but it wasn’t until 1997 that the TV channel owned the majority. After June 2001, Canal+ obtained another 34% of the shares, and in August 2005, they obtained the remaining 2% held by Alain Cayzac, making Canal+ PSG's sole shareholder. On 11 April 2006, Canal+ announced the sale of the club to its new owners, a consortium comprising American investment company Colony Capital, French investment company, Butler Capital Partners, and American investment bank, Morgan Stanley. The club was sold for a reported sum of 41 million euros, with Canal+ taking responsibility for the debt run up by the club under its direction. This sale became effective on 20 June 2006, after Alain Cayzac replaced Pierre Blayau.^[8] On 30 June 2009, Colony Capital acquired all the shares of Morgan Stanley, becoming owners of the 95% of the club.^[9]

Stadiums

Camp des Loges represents the club's training facilities since 1974.

The Stade Georges Lefèvre of the Camp des Loges was, from 1904 to 1970, the main stadium of Stade Saint-Germain until the club's fusion with fellow local club Paris FC. It was renamed Stade Georges Lefèvre in 1945, for the player of the Stade Saint-Germain who died at the front in 1940. Following the foundation of Paris Saint-Germain in 1974, the Camp des Loges began operating as a training center for the club. The PSG training center officially opened on 4 November 1975 with Pedro Alonso being installed as the club's first director. In March 2006, in order to modernize the center, Paris Saint-Germain announced that the club would temporarily vacate the Camp des Loges in order for the facilities to be renovated. The renovations officially started in January 2008 and were completed on 4 October 2008. The entire process cost €5 million. The new Camp des Loges, located 400 meters from the old, was inaugurated on 4 November 2008.

Entrance to the Parc des Princes.

During the 1970–71 season, PSG played some matches at the Stade Jean-Bouin, but the attendance was lower than in the Stade Georges Lefèvre, so the club chose to play in Saint-Germain. During the season 1971–72 in Division 1, PSG played their home matches at the Stade de Paris, Saint-Ouen. The club had to play a few games at the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir in Colombes (once in 1974–75)^[28] and the Stade de Paris (once in 1977–1978 and twice in 1978–79) because Le Parc was unavailable due to work on the lawn.

On 10 November 1973, Paris SG held their first match at the Parc des Princes during a Division 2 match against Red Star Saint-Ouen. The capital club won the match 3–1. It wasn't until 1974 that PSG left the Stade Georges Lefèvre and became Le Parc's sole tenant. In 1992, after the club was bought by Canal +, the TV channel took control of the SESE, company which holded the concession to the Parc des Princes since June 1988. The club now paid their rent to Canal +.^[29] On 28 June 1999, the City of Paris extended the concession from the Parc des Princes for another 15 years. On 18 February 2002, PSG fully appropriates the stadium and the headquarters of the club are moved to a new building. After the club was sold by Canal + to a consortium comprising American investment company Colony Capital, French investment company, Butler Capital Partners, and American investment bank, Morgan Stanley on 11 April 2006, the City of Paris extended the concession until 2014.

The highest average home attendance of the club was registered during the 1999–2000 season with 43,185 spectators per game.^[30] 49,575 spectators is the attendance record and was registered in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals match between PSG and SV Waterschei Thor on 2 March 1983. The club's average home gate for the 2009–10 season was 33,266, the fourth highest in the Ligue 1.^[12]

Supporters

Supras Auteuil.

The supporters of the club are known as parisiens (parisians). In France, about 11% of the population are said to be Paris Saint-Germain sympathisers, surpassed only by Olympique de Marseille (20%) with Olympique Lyon tied with the club and Girondins de Bordeaux close behind with 10%.^[11] Worldwide, the capital club is also the second most popular french club, surpassed only by Marseille and followed close behind by Lyon.^[31] The current president of the French government, Nicolas Sarkozy, is one of the club's most prominent supporters.^[32]

Paris Saint-Germain are known to draw their support from both far-right white nationalists and a cross-section of Île de France's multi-ethnic population. The Kop of Boulogne (KOB) is an area in the Parc des Princes which houses supporters groups associated with the club. It is known as the "most notorious stand in French football" due to its links with violence and far-right political groups and is a symbol for football hooliganism and political extremism within French culture. The KOB has been linked with hooliganism since the 80's and continutes to be associated with violent elements within the PSG support. Indeed, the Kop has become synonymous in French public opinion with not only football hooliganism, but racism and fascism due to a number of high profile incidents.^[33] The Boys now stand at the Boulogne end of the Parc des Princes. Some nationalists stand at the far right. The Boulogne Boys have been fighting other Paris fans for years. However, the simplistic notion that the Boulogne Boys are all far-right supporters has been disavowed as many supporters have rejected the attempts of right-wing parties to infiltrate their ranks.

There has been a large rise of violence in French football and much has been attributed to Paris Saint-Germain supporters.^[34][35] In the 90's, fans of Paris fought with supporters from Belgium, England, Germany, Italy and Scotland. In 2000, the bitter rivalry between Paris and Marseille turned violent.^[36] Since 2008, in light of the violence at the Parc des Princes, French authorities have disbanded six PSG ultras supporters groups. From the Tribune d'Auteuil, the groups Supras Auteuil 1991, Paris 1970 la Grinta, and Les Authentiks have been dissolved. At the other end of the pitch, the Kop of Boulogne has lost the Boulogne Boys, considered one of the oldest hooligan groups in France, Commando Loubard and Milice Paris.^[37][38]

Honours

In 1994, Paris Saint-Germain was ranked 1^st in the Club World Raking made by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics,^[3] and in 1996, the capital club was also ranked 1^st in the UEFA coefficient of Top Clubs.^[4] Paris is the only French club to ever achieve these honours.

From 1993 to 1997, Paris Saint-Germain finished in the top ten of the Club World Raking. The IFFHS also publishes a ranking taking into account the results over the past twelve months. PSG has been five times 1^st in this mensual rankings.^[44] Taking into account the period from 1991 to 2009, Paris is ranked 25^th globally, being the highest ranked French club after Olympique Lyonnais.^[45] As of 29 June 2010, the club is ranked 113^th.^[5]

Current squad

As of 13 July 2010 (2010 -07-13)^[update]. ^[46]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Grégory Coupet 2 DF Ceará 3 DF Mamadou Sakho 4 MF Claude Makélélé (Captain) 5 DF Siaka Tiéné 6 DF Zoumana Camara 7 MF Ludovic Giuly 8 FW Péguy Luyindula 9 FW Guillaume Hoarau 10 MF Stéphane Sessègnon 11 FW Mevlüt Erdinç 12 MF Mathieu Bodmer

No. Position Player 13 DF Sammy Traoré 14 FW Mateja Kežman 16 GK Alphonse Aréola 19 MF Nenê 20 DF Clément Chantôme 21 FW Jean-Eudes Maurice 22 DF Sylvain Armand (Vice-captain) 23 MF Jérémy Clément 24 MF Tripy Makonda 25 MF Jérôme Rothen 26 DF Christophe Jallet 30 GK Apoula Edel 31 MF Adama Touré

French teams are limited to three players without EU citizenship. Players from the ACP countries—countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific that are signatories to the Cotonou Agreement—are not counted against non-EU quotas due to the Kolpak ruling.

The first team is managed by Antoine Kombouaré (Manager), accompanied by Yves Bertucci (Assistant), Gilles Bourges (Goalkeeper Trainer) and Raphaël Fèvre (Physical Trainer). The medical staff is composed of Éric Rolland (Doctor) accompanied by Bruno Le Natur and Jérôme Andral (Physiotherapists).

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 17 MF Granddi Ngoyi (on loan at Stade Brest until the end of the 2010–11 Ligue 1 season) 18 MF Loris Arnaud (on loan at Angers until the end of the 2010–11 Ligue 2 season) 27 MF Younousse Sankharé (on loan at Dijon until the end of the 2010–11 Ligue 2 season) FW Éverton Santos (on loan at Goiás until the end of the 2010 Brasileiro Série A season)

Reserves & Academy

For the reserve and academy squads, see Camp des Loges.

Paris SG's reserve team in May 2008.

In the 2009–10 season, Paris Saint-Germain's reserve team will compete in the Group C of the Championnat de France Amateurs. The reserves won three Coupe de Paris in 1972,^[47] 1973,^[48] and 1980, now played by the club's third team, which became runner-up of the cup in 2010. The reserve side reached the semifinals of the Championnat de France de D3 in 1987.

The capital club has a number of school facilities for the youngsters, these competing in the Coupe Gambardella since 1963. The youngsters won the cup in 1991,^[49] reaching the final in 1978, 1989, and 1998, and the semifinals in 1972, 1975, 1990, and 2001.

The junior team won the Championnat de France Cadets in 1988.^[50] PSG reached the final in 1980 and the semifinals in 1985 and 1989. From 1990 to 2002, the junior French championship was split in two leagues: Under-17 and Under-15 years. The Under-15 team reached the semifinals in 1992, 2001, and 2002, and the quarterfinals in 1994, 1997, 1998, and 1999. While the Under-17 team reached the quarterfinals in 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2002. In 2002 the junior French championship was divided in three groups: Under-19, Under-17 and Under-15 years. The Under-19 team reached the quarterfinals in 2003 and in 2006, David Bechkoura led the team to the club's first league title. In 2010, Bechkoura's men repeated the feat with a victory over Monaco on penalties in the final.^[51] The Under-17 reached the semifinals in 2004 before breaking into the final in 2008 and 2010, being runners-up in both opportunities. Meanwhile, the Under-15 team have only won their group in 2003, while finishing second on goal difference in 2004.

PSG Ladies

Paris Saint-Germain's female section emerged in the summer of 1971 following the decision of the French Football Federation to create a women's football championship. For the 1971–1972 season, 33 women were sign by the club.^[16] The female section is chaired by Alain Gobert and the team is coached by Camille Vaz and Karine Noilhan. The 2009–10 season became its 19^th season in Division 1 Féminine. The Challenge de France achieved in 2010 is PSG's most prestigious honour. The capital club captured their first important title by defeating Montpellier 5–0, the largest gap in the cup's young history. The ladies were runner-ups of the cup in 2008. PSG won the Division 2 in 2001,^[52] and were vice-champions in 1983^[53] and 1985.^[54] The team's stadium is the Stade Georges Lefèvre of the Camp des Loges in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, with a capacity of 3,500 seats.

References

Specific

General

• Riolo, Daniel (2006). The History of Paris Saint-Germain. Hugo Sport. ISBN 2-7556-0115-9. 
• Albert, Rodolphe (2006). The Secrets of PSG. Éditions Privé. ISBN 2-35076-028-6. 
• Bouchard, Jean-Philippe (2000). The Thriller of PSG, from Canal+ to Canal-. Calman-Lévy. ISBN 2-7021-3107-7. 
• Berthou, Thierry (1998). History of Paris Saint-Germain Football-Club (1904–1998). Pages de Foot. ISBN 2-913146-00-7. 
• Basse, Pierre-Louis (1995). PSG, Secret Histories (1991–1995). Solar. ISBN 2-263-02317-8. 
• Dautrepuis, Anne; Gilles Verdez (1998). PSG, New Secret Histories (1995–1998). Solar. ISBN 2-263-02653-3. 
• Grimault, Dominique; Luis Fernández (1995). The Parc of My Passions. Albin Michel. ISBN 2-226-07790-1. 
• Balédant, Fabrice; Alain Leiblanc (1986). Paris S.G. champion!. RTL Éditions. ISBN 2-87951-157-7. 
• Le Goulven, Francis; Robert Ichah (1981). Paris SG 81/82. PAC. ISBN 2-85336-158-2. 
• Hechter, Daniel (1979). The Football Business. Ramsay. ISBN 2-85956-118-8. 
• Chevit, Frédéric; Olivier Rey (1977). The Roman Truth of Paris SG. Fayard. ISBN 2-213-00520-6. 
• Pérès, Jean-François; Daniel Riolo, David Aiello (2003). OM-PSG, PSG-OM. Les meilleurs ennemis, enquête sur une rivalité. Mango Sport. ISBN 2-8427-0434-7. 

External links

Official Websites

• (French) (English) Official Club Website
• (French) (English) PSG Ladies
• (French) (English) Paris Saint-Germain F.C. at the Ligue 1 Official Website
• (French) (English) Paris Saint-Germain F.C. at the UEFA Official Website

News Sites

• (French) Paris Saint-Germain News from Le Parisien
• (French) Paris Saint-Germain News from L'Equipe
• (English) Paris Saint-Germain News from Sky Sports
• (English) Paris Saint-Germain News from ESPN