Paris Saint-Germain are taking legal action against Lyon owner John Textor following what they perceive as “defamatory and damaging” comments about the club.
This response stems from a recent interview Textor gave to Brazilian outlet Globo. Textor, who also has stakes in Crystal Palace, criticized PSG’s financial backing, suggesting he’s “competing against a country, not an owner.” He further called out their spending as “unbridled and without restrictions.”
This criticism irked PSG, who are majority-owned by Qatar Sports Investments, a group with ties to the Qatari government’s wealth fund.
In a letter to Textor, signed by PSG’s general secretary, Victoriano Melero, the club strongly condemned his statements, calling them “false, incendiary, undignified and nonsensical.” The letter also warns of further legal action in both France and Brazil if Textor doesn’t retract his comments.
They add: “We would like to respond to a few of your most unwarranted smears that are particularly false, hypocritical, and disrespectful not only to PSG but the wider French football family.
“You falsely state PSG has ‘a model of unbridled spending without restrictions’ while ignoring the fact your own club has had significant issues with Uefa and DNCG restrictions under your management.”
French football’s financial watchdog, the DNCG, placed Lyon under restrictions in July 2023. The club’s transfers and wage bill were monitored for the 2023-24 season due to concerns about their financial stability. This decision came after the DNCG deemed Lyon’s initial budget lacked sufficient financial guarantees.
Fortunately for Lyon, the DNCG lifted the restrictions in December 2023. This positive outcome followed the club’s submission of a revised budget that met the DNCG’s requirements.
They added: “You mention you are competing ‘against a country’ with PSG, ignorant of the fact that a significant portion of our club today is owned by US investor Arctos – which we thought you might be aware of, coming from the US.
“Less than 20% of PSG’s commercial revenue comes from Qatar companies, while PSG has signed 50 new partners in the last six years and only one of these was a Qatari brand.”
PSG’s letter concludes with a warning that if Textor persists in making “defamatory and damaging statements,” they will be compelled to increase their legal actions against him, adding to ongoing lawsuits in Brazil with additional proceedings in France.
