This Sunday evening, in Lisbon, in the final of the Champions League, it is a little more than a simple sporting rivalry which will be played at the Luz stadium. In turn since Qatar's presence in Paris in 2011, German leaders have taken turns to undermine the Parisian model.
Barely a year after his arrival with Qatar at the head of PSG, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, its president, was already to respond to the first attacks of Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the president of Bayern Munich. "I think that all club leaders must respect the work of others, slipped Al-Khelaïfi. I can assure you that we have no problem with financial fair play. There are rules and we will follow them. It is better for everyone to focus on their management and not that of others. "
The battle for little phrases was on. She was just getting started. With its five European titles, in addition to its 30 national titles in 100 years of history, the German juggernaut has never ceased to envy "the new rich" like Paris or Manchester City.
"PSG inherited a lot of money when Bayern created their money"
Become honorary president of the Bavarian club, Uli Hoeness will have multiplied the more or less critical remarks. "There will come a time when all those who spend so much money with a bang, will no longer be able to afford a stick, because sporting success is not programmed as the providers of funds imagine", he predicted . Today, he is still ironic: “For Mbappé, if I paid 100 million euros, I would only have the left tibia. ".
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has regularly fueled the controversy. "I wondered with the amount of the transfer of Neymar ( Editor's note: 222 million euros ), what would be more important: Neymar or the Allianz Arena? He asked in Bild. I have to say that the Allianz Arena is much more important to us. "
Former defender Willy Sagnol, a perfect connoisseur of the philosophy of the German club with which he won the Champions League in 2001, deciphers this rivalry. "Bayern and PSG have the same purpose but not the same course," he says. PSG inherited a lot of money when Bayern created their money. But the goal remains to be efficient and to win titles. Bayern leaders' critical reactions to PSG almost resemble French culture. The one where we don't like those who succeed, those who have money, those who show it. "
Rummenigge calmed the game
Parisian leaders never let it go, but they never looked for verbal overbidding. They knew that their initial desire to build a club to go and fight with the historic greats of Europe would "disturb and generate jealousy". "The people of Bayern do not see it in a good light because they are well established and do not like to be challenged, but they see PSG as a challenger", slips an observer.
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Would the partnership between Bayern and Qatar Airways at the start of 2018 have changed the discourse of German leaders a little? “Our relations with PSG are very good, thus assured Rummenigge in France Football this summer. I very much appreciate my counterpart Nasser Al-Khelaïfi. Paris attaches great importance to world stars such as Kylian Mbappé and Neymar. At the workforce level, we are organized differently. But I have a lot of respect for PSG. »Will this calm tone survive a Parisian success on Sunday? To have.