What smart moves did PSG make and how did they manage to become self-sustainable? Honestly, people concentrate on City's actions but I'm very curious how PSG managed to spend an absolute fortune and continue to pay ridiculous wages to their squad and yet somehow follow the FFP guidelines. Top ten highest paid Ligue 1 players are all theirs, how can they possibly afford that?
Seems to me, that City were just more brazen and openly arrogant in their approach, daring the authorities to do something about it and confident they can get away with it while PSG were smart enough to better cover their tracks.
That's very possible, as we know PSG has been under many investigations, they have been fined in the past, but they seem to learn their lessons. Is it possible that tomorrow it comes out they got banned too? Sure, I'm not looking at their books, but they have made shrewd moves. Marketing wise, PSG is a club on the rise. Their partnership with the Jordan brand has been a smash hit, I live in the US and I have never seen so many PSG jerseys until the last few years, whether it's on the streets or US athletes wearing the jerseys because it's Jordan who's a god here. It's anecdotal evidence, sure, but the facts are they've reduced their debts substantially (to the tune of 60m IIRC) while City increased theirs by almost 100m just this last year.
What other shrew moves have they made? Well, just this season they got Icardi on loan with an option to buy for 60m for a top striker, a bargain nowadays, their new deal with Accor has effectively doubled their revenue per year from the jersey sponsorship. In the last three years, they got Neymar and also Mbappe on a loan to not screw up their finance and got him for the second highest fee ever but will likely sell him for more than 100m profit. Both his, and Mbappe's arrival has been a huge boon to their marketing and jersey sales, especially after Mbappe won the world cup.
Neymar will also likely go soon enough, he will be another massive sale. City has been far more irresponsible in their spending than PSG, because while the focus is on the near half-billion spent on two players, those are players that will help make a huge chunk of that money back. City's bought really expensive players for almost every position when only a few will bring in money back off-the-field.
Time will tell, personally I hope this City ban sticks and that any offenders, whether it's PSG or anybody else, is held accountable. Unfortunately, I am not convinced that City and other clubs will find ways to weasel their way out of serious penalties.
https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-...inancially-powerful-club-report-idUKKBN20810L