Paris FC Join PSG In Ligue 1: Why Did It Take 35 Years For France바카라�s Capital To Have Two Top-Tier Clubs?

Paris FC, which was recently bought by France's richest family, secured promotion to the topflight and will join Qatar-funded Paris Saint-Germain next season in the elite as the City of Light바카라�s soccer scene undergoes a major facelift.

Paris FC바카라�s promotion to Ligue 1 puts an end to the French anomaly of having only one major football team in the capital. The Associated Press takes a look at the reasons behind the lack of top clubs in Paris.

The Paris Exception

When fans visit some European cities, they are spoiled for choice about which match to watch. While there are seven London clubs in the Premier League this season, there is only one top side in Paris: PSG.

It바카라�s a rarity in European soccer, where big cities such as Madrid, Rome, Barcelona, Milan, and even Manchester and Lisbon, generally have two high-level clubs.

바카라�There바카라�s a paradox. We have a very popular sport that produces great soccer players but for the moment has not produced great clubs in Paris,바카라� sports history researcher Paul Dietschy told The Associated Press. 바카라�The Seine Saint-Denis area (north of Paris) is one of the main scouting grounds for Europe바카라�s top clubs. And at the same time, Paris has never produced clubs with the same long-lasting impact as those in major European cities such as Madrid, London, Barcelona or Manchester.바카라�

Matra Racing Flops

It is not the first time an ambitious billionaire has invested in a Paris club.

Before the Arnault family, the late French media baron Jean-Luc Lagardère tried to revive the fortunes of Paris바카라� former greatest team, Racing Club. In the 1980s, Lagardère launched Matra Racing, signing big players such as Uruguay star Enzo Francescoli, Germany바카라�s dribbling ace Pierre Littbarski, France midfielder Luis Fernandez and spectacular goalkeeper Pascal Olmeta in an attempt to compete with PSG.

It threatened to work, but in the end Matra struggled to draw fans, did not achieve significant results and Lagardère opted out of the ill-fated adventure after just a few years.

Many Paris teams alive at the start of the 20th century have gradually sunk from view. Red Star, which has returned to the second division, still enjoys a strong working-class fan base, but its chaotic functioning and lack of stability have kept the club in the shadows over the last 50 years.

National Team Strong Despite Few Big Clubs

The lack of top-level clubs in Paris and across the country can find its roots in the complex relationship between France and soccer.

First of all, French soccer had a slow start. While the English FA Cup was first played in 1871, soccer did not become France바카라�s No. 1 sport until the 1930s-40s. Cycling previously captivated audiences thanks to the Tour de France.

바카라�There바카라�s also the fact that from the Second World War onwards, there바카라�s been a divorce between French capitalism and soccer,바카라� Dietschy said. 바카라�And with the nationalizations, there were fewer big companies to support soccer clubs.바카라�

Another factor, he added, was the abundance of sports in Paris coupled with the political situation in the working-class neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city.

바카라�There are so many different kinds of entertainment in Paris. Soccer바카라�s main rival was cycling. There was also boxing. Soccer was just another form of entertainment that didn바카라�t generate a strong identity," Dietschy said. "And in the Communist suburbs, the idea of developing a popular amateur sport inspired by the Soviet Union ran counter to the development of professional clubs.바카라�

PSG Has Eclipsed Rivals On The Domestic Scene

In a championship that traditionally struggles to attract star names, lacks significant financial clout and lags behind in salaries, PSG has won 11 Ligue 1 titles in 13 seasons since Qatari backer QSI took over the club. Monaco won in 2017 with a young Kylian Mbappé and Lille did so against the odds in 2021.

That makes Ligue 1 easier to invest in for outsiders. The talent is already there.

France바카라�s exceptional soccer academies are arguably the world바카라�s best along with Brazil and Spain, producing a veritable production line of talent, such as 2022 Ballon d바카라�Or winner Karim Benzema (Lyon) and Mbappé.

So French soccer바카라�s richness remains more anchored in its grass roots than its results. Only Marseille has won the Champions League, way back in 1993, and a handful of finals have been graced by PSG, Monaco and, decades ago, Reims.

This has not impacted France바카라�s academies which, thanks to their vast scouting networks, detect young talents across Europe and beyond. Monaco and Lyon, for example, are good at spotting players from South America. More recently, the likes of Arsenal바카라�s William Saliba and Chelsea바카라�s Wesley Fofana came through Saint-Etienne바카라�s academy before earning high-profile Premier League moves.

A Soccer Country Not So Mad About Its Clubs

Although French soccer is well-established with more than two million people affiliated to clubs, interest in Ligue 1 remains fickle and league officials struggle to sell their TV rights. France is not like England, where the passion for football clubs is fierce and pervades every class of society.

Even though Les Bleus have won four major trophies and finished runner-up at three others, this has not produced a lasting effect at home. With the few exceptions of teams like Marseille, Saint-Etienne, Strasbourg or Lens, which have faithful supporters, the interest for club soccer remains mediocre.

There is one sports daily in France, L바카라�Equipe, but soccer stories remain scarce in the general news press unless it바카라�s an established star such as Mbappé, or Zinedine Zidane before him. By comparison, English media churns out 10 pages of sport across several national daily newspapers, with large chunks dedicated to soccer.

Elsewhere, Spain has Marca, AS and Mundo Deportivo; while Italy boasts the renowned La Gazzetta dello Sport, Tuttosport and Corriere dello Sport.

Brief High And Major Low

Interest in the French league did spike considerably during the 바카라�80s-바카라�90s, however, when Marseille played with verve and style. Stars like Rudi Voeller, Chris Waddle, Rai and George Weah joined a league where the rivalry between Marseille and newly confident PSG was relentlessly promoted by the clubs바카라� owners: Bernard Tapie at Marseille and pay TV channel Canal Plus at PSG.

Then came the Bosman ruling in 1995, which hurt French clubs badly.

The end of restrictions on the number of foreign players in clubs led to a mass exodus of French talent to more prestigious and 바카라� crucially 바카라� higher-paying leagues. It took until the past decade for a French club to re-emerge with major spending power: PSG.

Can Paris FC Excel Under Arnault바카라�s Luxury Group?

Created in 1969, Paris FC바카라�s men바카라�s team has yet to achieve any significant success.

The Arnault family, owners of the LVMH luxury empire, plan to draw on Jürgen Klopp바카라�s expertise as part of an ambitious project to transform Paris FC into a force in French soccer. The family바카라�s takeover has energy drink giant Red Bull on board as a minority stakeholder. Klopp, the former Liverpool manager, has joined Red Bull as head of global soccer.

Arnault has described the project as a long-term effort to elevate Paris FC바카라�s men바카라�s and women바카라�s teams to top-tier success.

바카라�The Paris FC business can work," Dietschy said, "because there are no more seats left at the Parc des Princes to see PSG. It will make for a second offer, although it바카라�s a team with no real history. Everything has to be created, so why not? Things have changed over the last 25 years. Now there바카라�s the bling side of football, and popular culture has invaded the luxury sector, they might want to seize that opportunity.바카라�