Here’s why PSG fans are so vociferously protesting Lionel Messi and chanting around the club’s board. Read the entire news to know about the cause of the facade. Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr., and the PSG hierarchy faced strong protests from the club’s supporters on Wednesday, with fans calling for the board to resign as they also criticized by saying them as overrated players. PSG Ultras group Collectif Ultras Paris (CUP) organized the protest, which initially started at the club’s headquarters in Boulogne. Around 400 supporters gathered, with flares lit and banners made to highlight their dissatisfaction with the direction of the club.
Why are PSG Fans Protest against the board?
There were several chants were made against players such as Messi, Neymar, and coach Christophe Galtier, while they also criticized President Naseer Al Khelaifi, whom the CUP has demanded to meet. Elsewhere, a group of PSG fans stood outside of Neymar’s house chanting and demanding he leaves the club, despite the player’s contract running until the summer of 2027 with the option of a further year. As a result of the events, PSG has reinforced security at the club’s training ground, Camp des Loges, with players also receiving extra protection outside of their houses.
The protests follow the PSG suspending Messi for some two weeks after the Argentine took an unauthorized trip to Saudi, Arabia. Supporters have mocked Messi and Neymar at the Parc des Princes on a number of separate occasions this season, however, the CUP clarified the protests are related to a wider issue at the club. In a statement released on Wednesday, the CUP criticized the signings of overrated players and mercenaries and high ticket prices. Clearly disgraced with the direction of the club, the statement also refers to the club potentially moving away from the Parc des Princes in the future while suggesting football not commercial expansion.
The club has condemned the actions of the supporters since. Paris Saint-Germain most strongly condemns the intolerable and insulting actions of a small group of individuals that took place on Wednesday. The statement added that whatever the differences of opinion, nothing justifies such actions. Therefore, the club gives its full support to its players, its staff, and all those targeted by such shameful and not-so-good behavior. Currently, the PSG are five points clear of Marseille with five games to go but have lost three of their last six games and crashed out of the Champions League again in the round of 16 to Bayern Munich.
Image Credit: Getty