The Professional Football League faced several obstacles in organizing the celebration for Paris Saint-Germain’s title before the derby with Paris FC on Sunday. The event was poorly executed and did not reflect well on Ligue 1.
Paris Saint-Germain’s trophy presentation did not go as planned. On Sunday evening, an hour before losing the derby against Paris FC, the French champions briefly celebrated in a corner of Stade Jean-Bouin. This celebration did not do justice to the team’s achievement under coach Luis Enrique, and it also reflected poorly on the league as a whole, as pointed out by journalist Romain Beddouk in a critical commentary.
“It was a very sad evening for Paris Saint-Germain and French football as a whole,” remarked Ici Paris Île-de-France columnist. “It started with this ridiculous celebration: a banner, no podium, no music, no fireworks, in a corner, before the match, with players in sneakers, while the stadium speaker was delivering a different message. Maybe I should tell you about the trophy presentation on Sunday morning… But no, apparently, even for this trophy, there is a protocol. No, I am describing the Ligue 1 trophy presentation ceremony, the pinnacle of French football. Quite a ridiculous and embarrassing moment.”
“It may not have been a big deal for PSG, but it was more significant for those responsible for the competitiveness of Ligue 1. Presenting this trophy in this way is the worst possible disrespect for the competition. Here, the organizer fully assumes: ‘Yeah, well, our thing is not worth the effort,'” interpreted Romain Beddouk, before pointing fingers at those to blame. “There are lots of responsible parties. I’m blaming LFP for mishandling its calendar and directives given to clubs hosting the French champions.”
Furthermore, the Paris police prefecture refused all proposals to celebrate properly at Parc des Princes, a street in front of Jean-Bouin, because they couldn’t manage two sets of supporters from different clubs. As a result, when they didn’t know how to handle it, their decision was to forbid any celebration. The Paris FC also did nothing to improve the situation, whether in terms of timing before the match or the space allocated. It could have been in the center of the field, but no, it was in a corner. For a club supposed to be a brother or friend, it’s quite comical. So, regarding this protocol, the evening was quite shameful for French football, emphasized the journalist.
