Anecdote: Paris Saint-Germain wanted to settle in Versailles, but was rejected by "Versailles" style

Sports Weekly All-Media Reporter Wang Qinbo

This is a true story: a "nova" wanted to settle in Versailles, but was rejected by the Versailles Municipal Government in a very "Versailles" way.

This anecdote comes from the memoir of Versailles Mayor François de Mazier, "For the Beautiful City". About 10 years ago, the Qataris were increasingly dissatisfied with the training center of the Paris Saint-Germain Club, and even after being renovated, it could not meet investors' expectations. In the early days of Paris Saint-Germain's establishment, it was first played at the Camp Lodge Stadium in Saint-Germain in the western suburbs of Eveline. Later they abandoned the stadium and moved to the Princes Park in downtown Paris, while the Lori Camp was transformed into the club's training center.

When the Qataris decided to relocate the training base, several alternative cities were put on the agenda: Tiverwar Grignon, Asher, Poissi. However, there is only one thing they like most - Versailles.

François de Mazière wrote: "The head of the Paris Saint-Germain Club came to visit and asked if he had the opportunity to buy the land in the former Pion's military camp. The site is close to the gardens of the Palace of Versailles, with a unique and noble geographical location, which is very attractive to their establishment of a training center."

The plot that Paris Saint-Germain is interested in is called the "C position" of Versailles, covering an area of ​​about 20 hectares, located at the entrance of the town and adjacent to the royal gardens. It is indeed a fantasy choice for the club to pursue a "magnificent place". Just imagine, tourists from all over the world will pass through Paris Saint-Germain’s training base when visiting the Palace of Versailles, or when political leaders from all over the world attend events.

In order to impress the mayor, the Qataris made a lot of preparations. They knew very well that the mayor of Versailles attached great importance to urban architectural aesthetics, so they adopted corresponding lobbying strategies. De Mazier recalled in the book: "They promised me that they would invite the best architects in the world to participate in the design. The Qataris are absolutely not stingy in this regard." This means that as long as the mayor nods his head and agrees, money is not a problem, and it can be achieved no matter how beautiful it is.

de Mazier was reserved for this proposal and consulted the closest members of his campaign. He wrote: "Their unanimous negative attitude strengthened my initial judgment."

So, how should we reject the Qataris' offer? The reason given by the mayor of Versailles is: "Once this project is launched, the city will fall into an uncontrollable financial and diplomatic logic."

This sounds ridiculous. After all, in the suburbs of Paris, which city knows better how to handle diplomatic affairs than Versailles? Over the years, we have received countless politicians and princes and nobles from all over the world... Rather, we Versailles are going to receive guests from all over the world, but we are not interested in letting you, nouveau riche, dominate the family.

Finally, after multiple trade-offs, the Paris Saint-Germain Club decided to settle the new base in Poissi, less than 6 kilometers from the original training center. The new training center was put into use in the summer of 2023 and was officially completed in November 2024. The project has brought considerable financial and employment benefits to Poissi City, becoming one of the highlights of local development. Of course, the city of Versailles doesn't care about such gains.