PSG ultras call for president Nasser Al-Khelaifi to RESIGN after the side’s humiliating Champions League exit… as they hit out at the club’s policy of buying players ‘who barely complement one another’
- PSG were eliminated from the Champions League by Real Madrid on Wednesday
- They signed Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos last year but still came up short
- The club’s ultras believe that the current crop of players don’t work as a team
- They feel Nasser El-Khelaifi should now resign from his role as club president
PSG ultras have called for the club’s president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, as well as sporting director Leonardo, to resign from their positions after the side’s latest elimination from the Champions League.
The Ligue 1 giants looked on course to reach the last eight of Europe’s elite club competition on Wednesday when they held a two-goal aggregate advantage over Real Madrid. However, they collapsed in the second half of the second leg and were knocked out thanks to a Karim Benzema hat-trick.
PSG added a number of household names to their squad last summer, such as Lionel Messi, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Sergio Ramos, but it has not paid off. The club’s ultras feel change is needed after questioning the club’s policy of buying star players who do not work together as a cohesive unit.
Lionel Messi (R) and his teammates were knocked out of the Champions League on Wednesday
Frustration was shown at Leonardo during Paris Saint-Germain’s 3-0 victory against Bordeaux.
A banner was seen in the stands saying ‘direction demission’ – calling for a resignation.
Another banner read: ‘Mbappe A Paris, Leonardo Au Pilori,’ urging the striker to stay at the club, while insisting Leonardo should be at the pillory.
There were calls for resignations at PSG’s home match against Bordeaux on Sunday
Sporting director Leonardo was also criticised by a section of PSG fans at the Parc des Princes
‘The unacceptable and inevitable disappointment that we feared and foresaw has unfortunately come to pass,’ the Collectif Ultras Paris group wrote in an open letter, as quoted by Goal.
‘How can you have the mindset to move mountains when your season seems to begin in February and you play domestic competitions at a pedestrian pace?
‘How can you have a genuine game plan when your squad is nothing but a bunch of “stars” who barely complement one another?
‘How can a coach be the respected leader of the changing room when he is clearly not the true decision maker?
‘How can you rebuild a squad when eternal substitutes can happily see out their contracts with such comfortable salaries?’
PSG ultras want president Nasser Al-Khelaifi to resign after their latest Champions League exit
They have suggested that Al-Khelaifi’s presence has been a hindrance to Mauricio Pochettino
The ultras have acknowledged that Al-Khelaifi deserves credit, having overseen PSG’s dominance of French football in recent years, which has seen the side win seven Ligue 1 titles since he began his role in 2011.
However, they no longer feel that he is the man to take the club forward.
‘We don’t have a short memory. We know what our return owes to president Nasser Al-Khelaifi but it is clear he is not the man for the job.
‘The club’s current situation requires complete reorganisation at all levels going forward and the daily presence of its president,’ the statement added.
The pressure appears to be building on Al-Khelaifi, just days after he reportedly threatened a Real Madrid employee and entered the referee’s changing room following PSG’s dramatic European exit.
UEFA have opened disciplinary proceedings against him as they investigate whether he needs to be punished for his actions.
