This time, it’s no longer a bluff. PSG is in working order to find land on which to build a new stadium. In the midst of a skirmish with the Paris town hall regarding the Parc des Princes, here is a letter which thickens the “consummated divorce” file between Anne Hidalgo and Nasser Al-Khelaïfi. She supports the position of the president of PSG who announced at the beginning of February that he wanted to leave the Parc des Princes for lack of a buyout agreement with the mayor of Paris.
This letter, dated March 11 and of which Le Parisien was aware, confirms that PSG is accelerating on the subject by exploring all avenues aimed at the construction of a new stadium within a 20 km radius of the capital. Signed by the secretary general of PSG, Victoriano Melero, it is addressed to Jean-Pierre Chaulet, the president of the commission of inquiry for the environmental master plan of the Île-de-France region (SDRIF-E).
Behind this acronym lies the region’s roadmap to shape regional planning between now and 2040. A strategic document, the draft of which was approved on July 12, 2023, was subject to public inquiry until March 16. It is to ensure that we are on the right track, if necessary when the time comes, that Victoriano Melero writes to the boss of the 17 investigating commissioners.
Saint-Germain-en-Laye is not a candidate
In his letter, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi’s right-hand man specifies that as “the maintenance of PSG at the Parc des Princes is not yet assured”, he asks to protect within the SDRIF-E an area of 50 ha likely to welcome the construction of a stadium that matches PSG’s XXL ambitions. On the form, a pink dot symbolizing this area will be pointed out on the general destination map of the different parts of the territory (CDGT). The final adoption of this SDRIF-E by regional elected officials will take place this summer, before being finally submitted for approval to the Council of State.
Several municipalities in Île-de-France have already expressed their desire to welcome the capital’s club. But for the moment no suitor has emerged. Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, on land located in Montigny-le-Bretonneux, which has the advantage of being close to the PSG Campus, opened last summer in Poissy, and Aulnay-sous-Bois (Seine -Saint-Denis) have officially applied. “It’s a great project but the road is long,” comments an elected official from Yvelines. Afterwards, there are many distant stadiums like Wembley or Sydney, but here we are talking about a home stadium. »
The Gonesse (Val-d’Oise) option is supported by the president of the Roissy-Pays-de-France agglomeration. “We would welcome PSG with pleasure, for what this stadium would represent as a dream, as an image for our young people from the suburbs, especially from the outer suburbs who sometimes have the impression of being forgotten,” confided a few years ago Pascal Doll days (DVD). The Joinville track (Val-de-Marne) would have been excluded because it did not meet the specifications. Other cities have since submitted applications.
But not Saint-Germain-en-Laye, whose history and name are forever associated with the Parisian club. “I told the leaders of PSG and Valérie Pécresse that it was not possible in Saint-Germain,” admits Arnaud Péricard, the mayor (Horizons). The elected official mentions an insufficient transport offer and the fear of traffic nuisance for residents. “I still do not despair that the club and the City of Paris will reach an agreement,” he continues. Because we are all attached to the Parc des Princes. »