Champions League: A Paris Saint-Germain win is a win for Qatar
Paris Saint-Germain is in the Champions League final. Their performance in Europe’s biggest competition doesn’t change the moral bankruptcy of their owners.
Over the years, it has been challenging to take PSG seriously on the pitch. Their domestic league is derided as a lower-tiered competition. The club has imploded over and over in the Champions League, like a star turning into a supernova.
One of the world’s best players, Neymar, has a history of theatrical meme-inducing flops, rolling, and convulsing on the pitch. The Brazilian has also had a penchant for getting injured before the team’s biggest matches in Europe.
If you were to follow the PSG players’ social media accounts, then you will rarely find any of them shown training or preparing for the next match or competition.
What you will find is a treasure trove of parties, celebrations, and gatherings, which recently in this pandemic world, has been grossly absurd and tone-deaf.
However, in this Champions League competition, the Parisiens have approached winning with a determination and tenacity that has been rarely seen by this group.
It has appeared that getting over their mental hurdles against Borussia Dortmund and Atalanta has freed them to play matches in over-drive than in neutral.
Neymar and Angel Di Maria have been rehabilitated in the courts of public opinion by their professionalism, technical skills, football intelligence, and artistry through the re-start of the UCL tournament.
It’s almost enough to forget the ethical and moral issues behind PSG’s ownership.