Nasser Al-Khelaïfi was in Dortmund Tuesday evening during the defeat of the Parisians in the first knockout round of the Champions League and it was almost an event. His presence almost went unnoticed. In recent months, the president of PSG seems to have disappeared from the landscape. His absences in January and February are however usual. The boss with multiple caps, who heads the Qatari tennis federation, spends most of his time in his country for the Doha tournaments (in January for men, February for women).
NAK takes advantage of this period to increase the number of meetings with personalities from all walks of life. Far from looks, often in opulent salons of the palaces of the capital of the emirate. Tuesday after the match, he did not go to greet the players after their defeat. It was neither spite nor anger. The cloakroom being too far from the presidential platform, he went to the airport so as not to miss the take-off slot reserved for his jet. With him, everything is always timed. A perpetual time trial that transports him from the Middle East to the four corners of Europe.
An always full agenda
Even if we hardly see it in France in winter, it remains very active and goes back and forth between the Middle East and Europe. In mid-January, he participated in a meeting in Paris with the presidents of the ten largest European clubs to discuss the survival of the International Champions Cup. Last week, he spent two days in Madrid for a meeting of the European Club Association (ECA) of which he is the representative at UEFA. Back in Paris, he chained meetings with Nike in order to validate future PSG outfits.
Her calendar is always full and her three phones are constantly overheating. Contrary to popular belief, NAK is still in charge. "But he no longer puts his hands in the grease," sums up an agent. It's not false. Since Leonardo's return, the roles have been better distributed. Al-Khelaïfi stepped back, he needed it.
Because 2019 will remain an annus horribilis for him. Shot down by the disappearance of his mother in January, he sees his club falling pitifully against Manchester United in the Champions League, must manage the moods of Madame Rabiot, deploy treasures of diplomacy to try to bring Tuchel and Henrique…
No strategic decision at PSG escapes him
Neymar's desire to leave will be a stab for him that will provoke his last media outing: a resounding interview at France Football where he speaks like a real boss. Add to all this his indictment in the spring for active corruption, as part of an investigation by judge Van Ruymbeke on the awarding of the 2019 World Athletics Championships, and you understand why the former tennis player ended the season on the kneecaps.
Contrary to some rumors, there has never been any question of him abandoning this armchair on which only Francis Borelli has stayed longer than him. Leonardo's return was a breath of fresh air. And when some believe that the Brazilian is the real boss of the club, Al-Khelaïfi smiles. Because no strategic decision escapes him, no sale or purchase of a player can be validated without his agreement. Qatar remains master on board. And Qatar, at PSG, is him.
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The events that punctuated this week will not change his course of action. Indicted by Swiss justice, he prefers to stay away from the media, which is not to displease him. For the sporting aspect, he lets Leonardo put the house in order. 2020, the club's fiftieth year, cannot be a failure. Al-Khelaïfi makes it a matter of honor.
