Champions League: why PSG are not exposed like Manchester City

By the PSG News newsroom · Published on 2026-10-14 · Updated on 2026-10-16 · champions league · psg · manchester city · financial fair play · uefa · dncg

Ahead of Wednesday's clash (8:45pm), one thing is clear: while Paris and Manchester City have both benefited from inflated sponsorship deals, only the English club faces very heavy sanctions. The explanation lies mainly in the bodies that oversee each league and in decisions taken in the past.

As Paris Saint-Germain prepare to face Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday (8:45pm), they are not under the threat hanging over the two-time reigning European champions. Yet the two clubs share an awkward common trait: the use of sponsorship deals deemed to be well above market value.

Sponsorship revelations

On the Paris side, revelations in 2018 (Mediapart, via Football Leaks) shed light on a deal signed in 2012 with the Qatar Tourism Authority worth €1.075 billion over five years. Two audits commissioned by UEFA at the time valued the contract at €123,000 and €2.8 million respectively. The colossal gap pointed to an artificial inflation of revenue comparable to what City are accused of.

Why PSG vs City

So why is one club under threat and not the other? In England, the Premier League has adopted strict rules on partnerships linked to state-backed owners and has enforced them through a long and costly process, despite the Manchester club's repeated delaying tactics. The sanctions being considered go very far, up to relegation and the stripping of titles.

French regulatory landscape

In France, there is no comparison. The DNCG, French football's financial watchdog, is primarily concerned with clubs' solvency and does not have — even after the law passed in August — the tools to assess whether such contracts are in line with the market. What's more, sanctioning PSG has never been straightforward for the league, with Nasser Al-Khelaïfi having long been a key player in funding French football as head of beIN SPORTS.

UEFA action in 2014

That left UEFA. It acted in 2014 by halving the value of the Qatari contract, which pushed Paris beyond Financial Fair Play thresholds and led to a negotiated settlement with a series of measures (including a €60 million fine and restrictions on transfers and the wage bill). According to Mediapart, the European governing body at the time, led by Michel Platini with Gianni Infantino at his side (since elected FIFA president), also allegedly covered up certain matters for political reasons. Added to this is a recurring obstacle: the limits set by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which UEFA still runs up against.

Conclusion

The upshot: Paris are not currently facing the axe that threatens City. The difference lies less in past practices than in the regulatory framework and its ability to enforce the rules on either side of the Channel.