After a "big spending summer," Paris St. Germain Chair Nasser Al-Khelaifi defended the way in which his club exercised its "financial muscle," according to MARCA. PSG "smashed the world transfer record" to bring in Neymar and also set up a deal to bring Kylian Mbappé to the French capital from Monaco. Al-Khelaifi insisted that if others were "unhappy" with PSG's way of conducting itself in the market, "then it was their own concern." He said, "We are very confident in our position and in our recruitment. We paid everything in a transparent way and have nothing to hide. If other clubs aren't happy with our Financial Fair Play, then that isn't our problem" (
MARCA, 9/6). REUTERS' Richard Lough reported Mbappé joined PSG on an initial season-long loan from Monaco "weeks after the Ligue 1 club signed Neymar for a world record" €222M ($265.6M). PSG's deals for Neymar, who the club signed from Barcelona after meeting the price in his buyout clause, and Mbappé "triggered an investigation into a possible breach" of FFP rules by UEFA (
REUTERS, 9/6).
TEBAS LASHES OUT: In London, Ben Rumsby reported Neymar and PSG have been caught "peeing in the swimming pool" when it comes to FFP, La Liga President Javier Tebas said. He also said that Man City had been guilty of "financial doping" which had not been "properly punished." Tebas, who unsuccessfully tried to block Neymar's move, confirmed La Liga would take both clubs to court unless UEFA sanctioned them for what he insisted were "breaches of its FFP rules." He said of PSG, "They're laughing at the system, aren't they? With Neymar to PSG, what we have done is caught them peeing in the bed, or in the swimming pool. Neymar's gone on the diving board and now he's peed from the diving board." Tebas also warned that unless something was done, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo "could be next to be lured to France" by Al-Khelaifi. Gesturing as if "turning on a tap," Tebas said, "If Nasser wants, he can just open the gas and buy them, can't he?" (TELEGRAPH, 9/6). The BBC reported Tebas "rejected any counter argument" built around Real Madrid and Barcelona having been fined for receiving state aid in the past. He said, "That's an argument my little kids would use. 'Why are you giving them biscuits and not me biscuits?'" (BBC, 9/6).
TAX PROBLEMS: ESPN.com's John Brewin reported Tebas said that La Liga is "powerless to stop the tax problems" that Messi and Ronaldo "have been embroiled in." Real Madrid's Ronaldo is currently fighting a court case in which he denies having evaded €14.7M in taxes on his image rights while Barcelona's Messi received a suspended 21-month jail sentence last year, later commuted to a fine, for hiding €3.3M in earnings from image rights from the Spanish tax authorities. Tebas said, "I don't like the issues that these players are having. It's not the money they're receiving from the clubs, it's from sponsors. What can we, as La Liga, do in this situation?" (ESPN.com, 9/6).
'PURE FICTION': The BBC's Simon Stone reported Man City's owners said that they are "considering legal action" after Tebas accused them of "financial doping." City Football Group said, "Mr Tebas' statements are ill-informed and in parts pure fiction. As you would expect, Manchester City Football Club and the City Football Group are seeking appropriate legal counsel and will act accordingly on that advice" (BBC, 9/6).
