Al-Khelaïfi: "Thank our supporters from the bottom of my heart"

How did the Chairman of Paris Saint-Germain feel seeing his team reach the Champions League final for the first time in its history?

First of all I felt that it was also really special to see the club reach the final at exactly the same time as we celebrated our 50th anniversary. For Paris Saint-Germain to play in a Champions League final for the first time at such a moment in its history was really symbolic for me. I also thought about the enormous amount of work that has been achieved since we took over the helm of the club in 2011. Over these nine years I’ve wanted PSG to be able to look the world's greatest clubs in the eye. We had already achieved this before the final in Lisbon, but now we have reached another level.

Is the greatest satisfaction of your presidency to have seen your team reach the final?

Yes, we can say so. To be honest there were a lot of mixed emotions when PSG reached the Champions League final - it's not just a feeling about being in the final itself. I felt very proud of the team, who put in a great performance. Unfortunately we didn't get any luck during the match against Bayern. It was a very tight game, decided on just a few things. Of course everyone was sad about the result but it was a really fantastic job to get to the final. During the evening of the game I also thought about what we have all been through over the last six months, this pandemic that has claimed so many victims and is changing our lives. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the real heroes of 2020 are the healthcare workers around the world and all those people on the front line facing the problems caused by this health crisis. I’d like to dedicate our Champions League run to them.

Did this context make the 2020 Champions League even more emotional?

Yes, exactly. A sporting victory has to be placed in a global context. We are all still going through the dramas and worries linked to this pandemic. Between the victims and their loved ones, millions of people have been terribly affected in recent months. Luckily sport retains this fabulous power to help people forget their difficulties and even feel stronger and more confident. Even more than in normal times, the world of sport has been able to share positive emotions and spread a message of hope. I am very proud that Paris Saint-Germain has been fully involved since the start of this crisis, not only by bringing joy through our European run, but also through all the measures we have taken to help healthcare workers and those most in need, particularly through our PSG Foundation. This support, of course, will continue for a long time to come.

Did you get a feeling for the excitement in Paris and throughout France during this “Final 8” tournament?

It was fantastic to feel all this passion behind the team! The supporters weren't there in person, but it was almost as if they were. We played this final tournament with the soul of the Parc des Princes alongside us. A key moment of our season was the return match against Dortmund (2-0 on 11 March). That evening the Parc was empty, but it was full outside, in a way... For me, an unforgettable moment was the players’ arrival at the stadium when the coach was escorted by the fans’ singing and flares. This gave our players a lot of strength and created a momentum up to Lisbon, where we had to adapt to the particular context of matches behind closed doors. I would like to thank our supporters from the bottom of my heart: those in Paris, in France and all over the world. Their passion gave the whole team amazing energy to get to the Champions League final for the first time. You know, that's what a great club is: a great team with great supporters. Our success is also their success, because they have always been there for the club, even during the very difficult years before we arrived. Without our fans, without these millions and millions of supporters, football would not be what it is. Neither the players nor us the executives should forget that.

Where do you place this Champions League result on the map of your nine years as Chairman?

It's a major moment, reinforcing my belief that the club has become extremely competitive. I know that we are moving in the right direction. But we still have a lot of things to do to reach the full potential of our project. Even before this final in Lisbon, the work carried out by Paris Saint-Germain was already unique in the world, especially over such a short period of time. But, and I insist on this point, we can go much further.

And as the club reaches the 50 year milestone, how do you view your predecessors at PSG?

I’d like to congratulate them all and express my gratitude for the extraordinary work they have done. Some of them created the club, like Guy Crescent and Henri Patrelle; others brought new momentum, like Daniel Hechter. Others, like Francis Borelli, made it a people’s club. After him, Canal+ modernised the club in the 1990s, bringing major moments on the European stage during the time of Michel Denisot. And now closer to my time at the club, we have a recent chairman like Alain Cayzac. He has been a great supporter of PSG for thirty-five years and I always enjoy catching up with him, especially when we meet during the PSG Foundation's board meetings. So, for me, it's clear that without the 460 players or all the coaches and executives who have been part of this club over the years, PSG’s Champions League run would never have been possible. Nor would it have been possible without the work of all the club’s employees during all this time in the club’s different departments, doing their bit to help PSG grow. I would like to thank them all. And I say to them: yes we might be 50 years old, but compared to many other clubs we will always be the youngest, and that's an excellent thing! Let's stay young forever... (smiling).