Lionel Messi’s arrival at Paris Saint-Germain has raised questions about how the French club can fund its summer with glamorous newcomers in compliance with FFP regulations< /p>
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Paris Saint-Germain have completed signing Lionel Messi from Barcelona as they continue a remarkable transfer window in which they have signed several high-income stars.
The Argentine’s arrival has spanned some notable months for the club, including Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Georginio Wijnaldum and Achraf Hakimi.
While Inter’s Hakimi signing was the only one of those deals that required a transfer fee – albeit a whopping € 60million – all other additions involve substantial wages.
Messi has been the top earning player in world football in recent years, while Ramos and Donnarumma are both Real Madrid and Parisians, respectively.
Lionel Messi joins PSG after leaving Barcelona
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These new signings have been added to an already high-earning roster that includes Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Mauro Icardi and Marquinhos.
Many wonder how the French club can afford the signings and comply with the financial fair play rules enforced by UEFA.
One of the left to question the decision was lawyer Dr. Juan Branco, who filed a lawsuit against Messi’s signature before the Paris Court of Appeals on behalf of the Catalan Club’s membership.
Branco’s letter reads as from Brand quotes: “PSG’s odds on ‘Financial Fair Play’ are worse than Fútbol Club’s Barcelona . In the 2019/20 season the salary-to-income ratio for the Paris team was 99%, while that of Barça was 54%. “
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“In the 2019/20 season, PSG failed to comply with the two economic indicators imposed by the DNCG.
“On August 5, 2021, (Barca President) Joan Laporta announced at a press conference that he would not be able to offer Messi a new contract due to the salary cap imposed on the clubs.
“Leo’s contract, despite the fact that they wanted to cut his salary by 50%, would have reached 110% of the salary cap imposed by the European authorities and Spanish La Liga.”
Messi’s exit from Camp Nou was driven by the club’s fragile financial condition and his inability to adhere to La Liga’s proactive financial regulations.
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The Argentine said at his farewell press conference at Camp Nou: “My contract was never the problem.
“What I know is that I’ve done all I can. The club say it couldn’t happen because of La Liga.
“I can guarantee you that I did everything I could to stay. Last year I didn’t want that and I said so, but this year it was different. “
Are UEFA’s financial fair play restrictions strong enough? Comment below
So on top of all their extra spending, how did PSG fund a deal for Messi?
As Belgian journalist Kristof Terreur explained, the fees for the two most expensive footballers of all time, Neymar and Mbappe, were spread over the life of their original contracts.
The final principal payments on these deals will be paid this year – which, due to the nature of the deals, is believed to have pulled £ 72 million off the club’s accounts each year.
With Neymar signing a new long-term deal in the French capital, these payments will likely be distributed in a similar way too – giving the club some bookkeeping leeway.
While La Liga rules have set strict budget limits for their clubs – where club wages cannot exceed 70 percent of club sales, while Barcas are currently 95 percent – a similar rule for Ligue 1 is not expected to be introduced until 2023 be / 24 campaign.
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