PSG Labels Report on the Club Breaking Financial Fair Play Rules as 'False'
Paris Saint-Germain have denied that an inquiry into whether they breached UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules, after the Paris based club sealed world-record moves for Neymar and Kylian Mbappe last summer, has found evidence that could see them banned from next season's Champions League.
The Qatari-owned French champions dismissed the rumors as 'false' following a report in The Financial Times (via The Telegraph) stated that a preliminary investigation had found the value of sponsorship deals at the club to be overstated compared with their true worth.
UEFA opened an investigation after PSG stunned the footballing world by smashing the world transfer record to recruit Neymar from Barcelona for £200m and highly rated French youngster Kylian Mbappe for £167m on a loan-to-buy deal from fellow French side Monaco last summer.
If PSG is found to have breached UEFA's Fair Play regulations for a second time after the French club was fined £50m after they were found guilty for a similar offence four years ago and they would be expected to be punished more severely.
The Neymar and Mbappe transfers saw the French side being accused of 'financial doping' by La Liga president Javier Tebas.
According to The Financial Times, the investigatory arm of UEFA appointed sports consultants Octagon to review PSG's current sponsorship contracts amid concerns the club had received money from related parties or entities with financial or other close links to the club's owners.
On the report the clubs' owners replied by stating that it was 'totally false' and that all the information they shared are truthful and that they have been closely monitored by UEFA since their 2014 FFP breaching incident.
“Paris Saint-Germain finds it deplorable that, only a few days before a regular meeting scheduled with UEFA, false information targeting the club has been reported. The club has been closely monitored by UEFA for four years following the settlement signed by both parties in 2014," the statement read.
"As a result of this, the European body has a very clear and transparent view of the club’s financial status, especially with regards to multi-year contracts with club partners. Paris Saint-Germain is in continuous communication with UEFA and the club will go to UEFA with confidence on April 20,” the club's statement continued.
Although UEFA launched an investigation in September, any assessment of whether PSG have breached rules allowing them to lose more than €30m over three seasons cannot be made until the end of the current campaign.
