Al-Khelaifi: “People are dying in the Ukraine and they have nowhere to sleep, and we are fighting over the Super League?”

In an interview with BBC, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who has been a source of controversy following his behaviour after his team lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League round-of-16, spoke about his relationship with Florentino Perez, the European Super League, and more.

“With the ESL or without the ESL — I hate to say Super League — there is talk of three clubs. They know there is no chance,” Al-Khelaifi told BBC. “People are dying in the Ukraine and has nowhere to sleep, and we fight for the Super League?

“I could have accepted the check for 400 million. They invited me,” Al-Khelaifi says as he explains the way he was invited to the Super League. “Then when I said no, they said they hadn’t invited me, that sums them up.

“If I just thought about myself I could have done it. Especially during Covid. But what about the eco-system and the fans and the values you represent?”

Al-Khelaifi also spoke to Perez about the Super League when Real Madrid and PSG met in the Champions League in March. According to the PSG president: “The problem with ESL clubs is that they don’t have stability. They don’t have a long-term financial vision. They keep talking about their legal contract [with ESL].

“What they forget is football is a social contract, it’s not a legal contract - they’re waving around a piece of paper.

“Florentino Perez spoke to me at the Champions League game and said ‘we have to get a point where we can speak to you’. I was really tough with him.

“I said I was happy to talk but if he was going to do stuff behind my back, I am not interested.”