Parisian chic available at a price
Thursday, July 25, 2002
Article summary
Paris Saint-Germain FC have been put up for sale by owners Canal Plus.
Article body
Paris Saint-Germain FC, France's most glamorous club, have been put up for sale by owners Canal Plus.
Imposed break-up
The French pay-television group is to sell the Parisian club, home to Brazilian FIFA World Cup star Ronaldinho, as part of a break-up imposed by parent company Vivendi Universal.
'List of assets'
Vivendi announced the dismantling of Canal Plus, which owns 90.8 per cent of PSG, on Tuesday as part of plans to alleviate the French-American media giant's debts. "Paris Saint-Germain was not on the list of assets Vivendi plans to keep and will be sold," said a club source.
'Not good news'
European success
Founded in 1973 through a merger of two smaller teams in a bid to give Paris a club to be proud of when the Parc des Princes stadium was rebuilt, PSG made an impact in the mid-1990s when they won the 1996 UEFA European Cup Winners' Cup.
'A great club'
But they have not won the French title since 1994 despite heavy spending on players which touched €68m in 2000. Acknowledging PSG's financial constraints, coach Luis Fernandez says new players have agreed to limit wage demands to help rebuild PSG as "a great club on the European scene".