Critics accuse football of having long since become alienated from reality. The protagonists, it is said, live in a bubble and don't care about the big issues. A short-haul flight by Qatar club Paris Saint-Germain is now causing a stir in France.
A short flight by the Paris Saint-Germain team and how the criticism was dealt with angered France's Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra. PSG coach Christophe Galtier reacted ironically to the question why the French champions had flown to the game in Nantes instead of traveling by train at the press conference for the Champions League opener against Juventus Turin on Monday evening.
"Mr Galtier, we are used to more relevant and responsible answers from you - should we talk about it?" the French sports minister wrote on Twitter. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo urged PSG to "wake up" and demanded a more serious approach to the issue.
Galtier previously said he expected such a question and replied that they would be in touch with the company that organizes PSG's trips to use a sand yacht next time. Star striker Kylian Mbappé burst out laughing when asked for a quick look from Galtier.
The journey to Nantes, around 380 kilometers from Paris, takes about two hours on the TGV high-speed train. The head of the company, Alain Krakovitch, had pointed this out. The club justified the short flight by saying that after the 3-0 win on Saturday evening, the return journey was still possible, unlike with the TGV. Krakovitch, however, renewed his proposal to adapt the use of the trains to the special needs. PSG said they take the issue very seriously. The best option would be examined for each of the approximately 25 away games per season.
Not only the Paris club with the powerful sponsor from Qatar repeatedly uses the plane as the preferred means of transport. Only last month, Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel drew attention to himself with his lament for a four-hour bus journey between London and Leeds. Last season, Manchester United traveled 120 kilometers to Leicester by private jet and received a lot of criticism.
In Germany, the national team caused displeasure in September 2020 with a flight from Stuttgart to Basel. Numerous Bundesliga clubs also prefer the plane as a means of transport for medium-length trips to away games. The national team fan club also kicked up a lot of dust. Although he had invited his members to the World Cup in Qatar, which began in November, he had chosen accommodation in Dubai. From there, the supporters of the DFB-Elf will fly to the games of the Flick team in the nearby emirate.
