July 28 – Almost 10 years after Paris St. Germain were acquired by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) to become one of the world’s richest clubs, their lesser-known cross-town poorer sister, Paris FC, are now also being funded by Middle Eastern money.
The League 2 club, which finished a lowly 17th in the table, have announced that the Kingdom of Bahrain is buying a 20% minority share worth €5 million and will be the main sponsor with the aim of securing a top-flight spot within three years.
The deal is reportedly being spearheaded by Prince Nasser ben Hamed Al-Khalifa, one of the sons of the King of Bahrain, with Pierre Ferracci remaining the majority owner with 77%.
Paris FC has one of the lowest attendances in Ligue 2 with barely more than 2,300 spectators on average last season before lockdown, in a stadium which can hold eight times more.
But in a statement, the club said: “The sporting ambition of the men’s first team is to reach Ligue 1 in the next three years, and to hoist its women’s team as high as possible in the women’s D1 championship.”
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