How Qatar's 'soft-power' helped French club PSG conquer European football

When 15 summers ago, Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) a consortium backed by the Royal (Al Thani) Qatari family, decided to bankroll underachieving Ligue 1 football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) their ambitions were pretty clear.

Build a team from the scratch who would go on to conquer Europe.

There was more to it than meets the eye in QSI's move to spend money on PSG. Since its inception in 1970, they were only a domestic force, winning all the major titles in France, while struggling to make their presence felt beyond Eiffel Tower.

In 2010 things changed dramatically after Qatar won the rights to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The tiny Middle East country with giant footballing ambitions needed to prove to Europe and the entire world that their interest is not just limited to Qatar. For that buying a club like PSG was the perfect option.

Qatar's sporting ambitions started with the conduct of the 2006 Doha Asian Games and the successful bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup fuelled their passion further.

By spending around $82m to buy the Ligue 1 club 15 years ago, the QSI who was headed by the young, smart-looking Nasser Ghanem Al Khelaifi (who looked more like your oily-haired-well-combed Michael Corleone of Godfather fame) was doing a smart move. Their only intention was to put Qatar and its sporting ambitions on the world map.

Call it 'sports-washing' or 'soft-power', the move has paid off rich dividends! Fifteen years down the line, the once unheralded French club has won back-to-back Champions League titles, (which only Spanish giants Real Madrid have done in the new era), 12 of the last 14 Ligue 1 titles and a UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Intercontinental Cup apiece.

People now know more about Qatar and its sporting ambitions thanks to the successful conduct of 2022 FIFA World Cup and partly to PSG.

When QSI bought PSG in 2011, Al Khelaifi had clearly said that his main aim was to create a 'brand'. That was evident from everything they did. New Year eve signing of marquee players like David Beckham and unveiling them at Doha Corniche's iconic Museum of Islamic Art. The high-profile signings of players -- be it Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar, Thiago Silva, Edinson Cavani or Kylian Mbappe were more of brand building, than just football.

And Khelaifi, whose interest extends beyond football, used his clout clearly. For laymen's knowledge, he is a man who wears different hats. The 52-year-old chairman of the beIn Media Group, is the president of the Qatar Tennis Federation and one of the vice-presidents of Asian Tennis Federation, a member of the UEFA Executive Committee and chairman of European Football Clubs.

Despite roping in high-profile coaches like Carlo Ancelotti, Laurent Blanc, Unai Emery, Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino, the Champions League crown still evaded PSG. Things started to fall in place once they brought Luis Enrique to the dug out in 2023.

Players like Messi, Neymar and Mbappe left and a new team was built around selflessness and teamwork. Enrique brought in young players like Desire Doue, a rejuvenated Ousmane Dembele, and made a game-changing decision when he signed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and the results are there to see.

PSG's first Champions League triumph in 2025, was 55 years in the making, 14 of those under Qatari ownership. And the second, which came on Saturday (May 30) when they defeated Arsenal 4-3 on penalties, could signal the beginning of a new era of dominance and dynasty-building.

In an interview with The Athletic a couple of years ago, Al Khelaifi spoke about his dream to open a PSG superstore on central London’s Oxford Street, something which even some of the biggest clubs in Premier League have not managed so far.

That dream was realised later and now looking at the pace at which things are unfolding, the Qatar-owned PSG can dream unlimited!