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 criticised "overrated players".
PSG Ultras group Collectif Ultras Paris (CUP) organised 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.
One banner read: “PSG, who are you, where are you going? Do you hear me?”
Chants were made against players such as Messi, Neymar, and coach Christophe Galtier, while they also criticised president Nasser 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.
📸 PSG fans in front of Neymar's house pic.twitter.com/wXgIOBNM6MMay 3, 2023
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 PSG suspending Messi for two weeks, after the Argentine took an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia. Supporters have jeered 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 criticised “recruitment without a global vision”, the signings of “overrated players” and “mercenaries” and high ticket prices. Clearly disgruntled 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, should be the owners' focus.
"QIF (Qatar Investment Fund) you have purchased a football club... play football!"
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,” a club statement read.
“Whatever the differences of opinion, nothing justifies such actions.
“The club gives its full support to its players, its staff and all those targeted by such shameful behaviour.”
