PSG v City ‘El Cashico’ is also a Gulf encounter

DOHA. The Uefa Champions League quarter-final between Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City on Wednesday is not just a contest between two of Europe’s richest clubs, it is also a battle of honour between Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
The English Premier League and Ligue 1 champions are emblematic of the domination of wealthy foreign owners in modern-day football. Between them they are estimated to have spent more than 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion) on players, according to sports industry studies. The football clash has sparked interest across the Middle East. Adding to the spice away from the football pitch, political relations between World Cup 2022 hosts Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), of which Abu Dhabi is one of the seven constituent emirates, have until recently been poor.

“Yes, you can say there is competition to see who has the best team,” said Qatari football fan, Mohammed Al-Jazali, talking of the competition between Qatar and UAE. “It is like seeing if my BMW outperforms my neighbour’s Mercedes.”
The tie has been dubbed “El Cashico”, the “Oil and Gasico” and even the “Abu Derby” by inventive fans on social media.
It is clear that without Middle East involvement, this fixture would almost certainly not be taken place, and definitely not in the Champions League. Under Gulf ownership the two teams have been propelled into Europe’s elite, uncharted territory for both sides. Before Qatar Sports Investments took ownership in 2012, PSG had most notably won two Ligue 1 titles and a Uefa Cup. They are estimated to have spent more than 550 million euros since on transfers.

ALL ABOUT MONEY
l PSG are estimated by Deloitte to be the fourth most valuable side in the world with an estimated revenue of 480 million euros.
l Manchester City are not far behind, the sixth most valuable club side, with a wealth of 463 million euros, say Deloitte.