Paris Saint-Germain hit back at LaLiga boss Javier Tebas in increasingly bitter war of words with Spanish football league chief
Paris Saint-Germain have hit back at LaLiga boss Javier Tebas after he labelled them “enemies” and “as dangerous as the European Super League”.
The outspoken Spanish league chief, a long-standing critic of the spending of PSG and Manchester City, also derided the French club’s signing of Lionel Messi at the age of 34.
In a letter to Tebas seen by City PM a PSG executive accuses the LaLiga president of making “insulting and defamatory statements” and “disrespectfully attacking” Messi and other signings.
It also suggests he is lashing out because stars including Messi, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo have deserted Spain, which it points out was found to have given state aid to clubs including Barcelona and Real Madrid.
“Time after time, you allow yourself to publicly attack the French league, our club, our players – together with players of other clubs – and the fans of French football; while constantly posting insulting and defamatory statements insinuating that we do not conform to the football financial regulations, amongst other unsubstantiated statements,” writes PSG general secretary Victoriano Melero.
“You decided some time ago to put in place a strategy favouring the economic expansion of LaLiga without having domestic financial regulations in place. Now you blame the consequences of this on others, while French football has had a system in force for over 20 years.
“It is now publicly known that certain Spanish clubs and your league are facing unsustainable levels of debt after gross mismanagement, not to mention the way Spanish football has been financed over the past decade – including by the state.”
Tebas launched his latest verbal barrage at Qatar-owned PSG and their thirty-something summer signings Messi, Sergio Ramos and Georginio Wijnaldum on Tuesday.
“PSG looks like the league of legends given the age of some players. LaLiga has young players like Vinicius,” he said.
“The problem of PSG, we will solve it. What PSG are doing is as dangerous as the Super League.
“We will continue to grow despite the departure of Messi. We will work against the club states. These clubs are as much enemies as the Super League.”
PSG official Melero retorted: “Now, you are also directly and disrespectfully attacking the players, simply because they decided to leave your competition, while at the same time you have been taking full advantage of having these world-greatest players in promoting your league until very recently.
“Your remarkable comments on the age of these players not only insults their past and current roles in defining how our great game is played, but also the millions of fans around the world who idolise them.”