France’s top soccer team is set to leave the only home it has ever known.
Paris Saint-Germain will be looking to move from its Parc des Princes stadium after it was unable to get on the same page with the Paris city government.
- Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said over the weekend that the city would not sell the iconic venue to PSG, calling it “an exceptional heritage for Parisians.”
- “The mayor is forcing PSG to leave its home,” said a team spokesperson. “PSG is now forced to find alternative options to relocate the club.”
- The club had made acquiring the stadium a prerequisite for spending $540 million on renovating and expanding the stadium.
Hidalgo would still like to work with PSG, owned by Qatar Sports Investments, on refurbishing Parc des Princes, where PSG has played since its founding in 1970. PSG says it has spent around $75.6 million on stadium improvements already.
House Hunting
PSG could look to purchase the government-owned Stade de France, which is for sale. With a capacity of 80,000, the French national stadium is the sixth-largest in Europe. The team could also develop the Hippodrome near their current home or start fresh by purchasing undeveloped land.
The team wants a modern venue to maximize revenue along the lines of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which opened in 2019.
