2007–08 Paris Saint-Germain F.C. season
The 2007–08 season was French football club Paris Saint-Germain's 35th professional season, their 35th season in Ligue 1 and their 34th consecutive season in French top-flight. PSG was managed by Paul Le Guen - in his first full season since replacing Guy Lacombe. The club was chaired by Alain Cayzac until Simon Tahar took over. Paris Saint-Germain was present in the 2007–08 Ligue 1, the 2007–08 Coupe de France and the 2007–08 Coupe de la Ligue. Last season's poor results prevented the capital club to participate in consecutive years in a European competition. Paris Saint-Germain's average home gate for the 2007–08 season was 36,947, the third highest in the Ligue 1.
After a season marked by the violence between the fans and poor results, Paris Saint-Germain started the season with the prospect of regaining success and stability. Nicolas Sarkozy held a meeting with Frédéric Thiriez to discuss racism and violence in football. Michel Gaudin stated that measures against hooliganism had reduced racist incidents and that 300 known hooligans could be banned from matches. PSG maintained the services of key players such as Pauleta, Mickaël Landreau, Bernard Mendy, Sylvain Armand and Jérôme Rothen, as well as adding Zoumana Camara and Péguy Luyindula to their player pool. The club's shareholders decided to stick with president Alain Cayzac and manager Paul Le Guen. Alain Cayzac had pretty high ambitions and declared that PSG was on the course to achieve a much better season, also revealing what he expected from manager and former player Paul Le Guen:
News
extended his contract with Paris Saint Germain until 2011. The divorce between Paul Le Guen and Fabrice Pancrate was definitive. The player refused to participate during the pre-season and the LFP suspended his contract with PSG. Jérôme Rothen signed an extension to his deal with Paris Saint Germain and was now tied to the Parc des Princes until 2011. PSG officially launched , their very own web TV channel, only available over the internet. PSG.TV broadcasts exclusive content including: interviews with players, re-runs of classic matches, exclusive reports, press conferences, training sessions at the Camp des Loges and footage showing snippets of life inside the club. :fr:Francis Borelli|Francis Borelli, historic president of Paris Saint-Germain, died following a long illness. Two minutes of silence were observed at the Parc des Princes before a match against Rennes in his memory. PSG fans displayed a giant banner dedicated to President Francis Borelli: "25 years later it is Le Parc who bows before you President". The banner referred to a memorable scene during the 1982 French Cup Final between PSG and Saint-Étienne. Francis Borelli rushed to the field and kissed the lawn of the Parc des Princes after Dominique Rocheteau scored an extra-time equalizer a few seconds before the final whistle to force a penalty shootout. Jean-Marc Pilorget transformed the match-winning penalty and gave PSG their first major trophy. Jérôme Rothen was named "Player of the Month" for September by the UNFP with 60% of the votes.Mamadou Sakho became PSG's youngest ever captain after wearing the armband on his league debut − aged 17 − against Valenciennes. Paris Saint-Germain fans clashed with police before the game at Auxerre. The fans had been waiting for the bus carrying the PSG players, which used another entrance. Paris Saint-Germain recorded their first victory away to Auxerre since 1999. Following their loss to Toulouse at the Parc des Princes during Week 18, PSG recorded their worst start to a season at home in their history and for the first time the club from the capital finished the first half of the league campaign without a single victory as hosts. Paris Saint-Germain recorded their first victory away to Saint-Étienne since 1994. PSG launched , the official website of the Parc des Princes. "Welcome to the Parc des Princes website ! To know all about this french monument, its history, its plans, and its news go into the pages of its official website, entirely devoted to the Paris stadium". Walter Butler, head of Butler Capital Partners, sold most of its shares to Colony Capital, which now owned 68% of the Parisian club. The group led by Sébastien Bazin in France became the majority shareholder of Paris Saint-Germain. Loris Arnaud signed a new two-year contract extension until June 2010. Guyanese singer Henri Salvador died in Paris aged 90. Supporter of Paris Saint-Germain since the early 1970s, Henri Salvador had four lifetime subscriptions at the Parc des Princes since the Hechter era. The club was in a bad financial situation and Daniel Hechter asked his friends to get their hands in their pockets. Hechter offered a lifetime subscription at Le Parc for all matches of PSG in exchange for 10,000 francs in donations. Henri Salvador took four. According to a survey made by magazine France Football, the Parc des Princes was the favorite stadium of Ligue 1 players. Paris Saint-Germain fans decided to protest against the club's poor form by boycotting the first 15 minutes of every home match since December to show their discontent.
Alain Cayzac, president of Paris Saint Germain, resigned from his position after his team was thrashed by Caen, dropping deeper into relegation zone. PSG were going through their worst ever crisis with relegation to the second division looming. With four league games remaining PSG sat 18th out of 20, just above already-relegated Metz and three points behind fourth from bottom Lens. Several PSG players' cars were attacked by irate supporters, some of whom spray-painted threats on walls at the club's training ground at Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The club hired Michel Moulin as director of sport to work alongside Le Guen. Simon Tahar was appointed president of Paris Saint-Germain. Reading "Paedophiles, unemployed and inbred: Welcome to the Sticks", the banner was displayed at the League Cup Final, of which French President Nicolas Sarkozy was in attendance. As well as disbanding the "Boulogne Boys" - who are considered one of the oldest hooligan groups in France - an inquiry into finding and punishing those responsible was launched. Lens mayor Guy Delcourt wanted the match to be replayed after the racist banner incident. The match was not replayed, but PSG were fined and banned from the following edition. The measure was later overturned on appeal. Pauleta said goodbye to the Parc des Princes after PSG's last home match of the season against Saint-Étienne. PSG fans unfurled a giant banner dedicated to Pauleta: "Your name and our colors forever linked". Following their victory away to Sochaux, Paris Saint-Germain avoided relegation in the last match of the season and ensured their continuity in the top-flight. Pauleta, Portugal and PSG's all-time leading goalscorer, announced his retirement at the end of the season. The Portuguese striker, surnamed "The Eagle of Azores", scored 110 goals for Paris Saint-Germain. Pauleta was honored for his career achievements. Mayor of Paris Bertrand Delanoë awarded Pauleta the Great Vermeil Medal of the City of Paris during a press conference at the Hôtel de Ville de Paris. President Simon Tahar and sports councillor Michel Moulin resigned.
Transfers
;InTotal spending: €9 million
;Out
Total income: €0 million
Squad information
Kit
manufactured the kits for Paris Saint-Germain and Emirates continued to be the club's main sponsor. Nike have been the official kit provider of PSG since 1989. Emirates has been a partner of the capital club since 2005 and the major shirt sponsor since January 2006.Board & Staff
Pre-season
Paris Saint-Germain opened their preseason campaign with a victory over Créteil. Pierre-Alain Frau was the star as he scored the first goal of the match, before assisting Diané for the second. Three weeks before the start of the Ligue 1 season, pre-season preparations seemed to be progressing perfectly for PSG as they ran out convincingly winners against Dijon. Pauleta and Frau opened the score in the first period, while David N'Gog sealed the victory in the very end of the match. "Les Parisiens" continued their preparations for the coming season with a new triumph over Troyes. The only goal of the match was scored by the inevitable Pauleta just before the break. PSG suffered a narrow defeat, their first of the pre-season, at the hands of Troyes. Paul Le Guen gave playing time to all of the group and seized the match to offer a few players from the reserve squad the opportunity to play with the first team. Paris encountered some problems against Greek side Aris, fourth in the Superleague Greece last season, but a surprising goal from Péguy Luyindula late in the match secured the victory. Luyindula scored his second consecutive goal in the pre-season, from the penalty spot, to give PSG a narrow but significant victory over Egyptian club Zamalek. Invited by English club and hosts Arsenal, Paris attended the inaugural edition of the Emirates Cup. Despite another goal from Luyindula, the capital club suffered a narrow defeat, their second of the pre-season, at the hands of "The Gunners" in their opening match. PSG then stole the show against Valencia, scoring three unanswered goals, including Luyindula's fourth goal of the pre-season, and confirming that Paul Le Guen's squad was in tip top form just days from the start of the campaign.Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain and Sochaux shared the points in a close encounter in Paris as neither side forced a breakthrough. A goalless draw at the Stade Félix-Bollaert saw Lens and PSG win a point apiece in a game containing few clear cut chances. PSG slumped to their first defeat of the season, a campaign in which they were yet to win, as Lorient stunned a packed Parc des Princes crowd with a comeback win. Paris Saint-Germain picked up a point after a goalless draw with Metz at the Stade Saint-Symphorien. A Pierre-Alain Frau goal three minutes from time handed PSG a precious point at the Parc des Princes as the capital club came back from a goal down to record yet another draw against Lille. Sylvain Armand and Amara Diané secured PSG's first victory of the season away to Le Mans. PSG and Olympique de Marseille played out a draw at the Parc des Princes as Djibril Cissé and Péguy Luyindula netted early goals. A goal each from Sylvain Armand and Amara Diané prove enough for PSG as they beat Monaco at the Stade Louis II, a late Jérémy Ménez free-kick nothing but a consolation for Ricardo Gomes' men. PSG fell to their second defeat of the season with a reverse to Bordeaux, Johan Micoud and David Bellion scoring the goals for "Les Girondins". A goal and an assist from former playmaker Jérôme Leroy condemned PSG to a third league defeat of the season as Rennes continued their impressive start. High-flying Valenciennes missed a golden opportunity to take fourth spot in Ligue 1 after being held to a goalless draw by struggling Paris Saint-Germain at the Stade Nungesser. Lyon overcame a spirited PSG side in the capital to extend their lead at the top of the table, Sidney Govou's goal the clincher.Two goals in the opening 20 minutes set Paris Saint-Germain on the way to three much-needed points at Strasbourg, a victory that lifted "Les Parisiens" well clear of the relegation zone. PSG were still waiting for their first home win of the season after they could only draw against high-flying visitors Nancy at the Parc des Princes. PSG lost away to Nice to relinquish the honour of being the last unbeaten team on the road in Ligue 1. The defeat saw Paul Le Guen's side slip into the relegation zone. A nightmare season continued in the French capital as a terrible defensive error from Ceará gifted Caen victory at the Parc des Princes and left PSG mired in the relegation zone after yet another shocking result. At blustery Auxerre, PSG recorded a fine win to move out of the bottom three, Péguy Luyindula heading home the game's only goal. Johan Elmander continued his fantastic scoring form with another two goals as Toulouse performed a textbook smash and grab at the Parc des Princes and took home all three points. A solitary Péguy Luyindula goal saw off Saint-Étienne, "Les Parisiens" surviving a first-half onslaught to steal all three points with a narrow victory. Amara Diané scored twice for PSG to record the club's first league home win of the season and leave Lens empty-handed in a one-sided encounter at the Parc des Princes. Grégory Bourillon's first-half own goal brought an end to PSG's resurgent run of form as Lorient claimed a deserved victory over Paul Le Guen's capital outfit at the Stade du Moustoir. PSG moved up to 12th in the Ligue 1 table with an emphatic win over relegation candidates Metz at the Parc des Princes. Lille and Paris Saint-Germain played out a goalless draw, a result that did little to ease both sides' relegation fears.
Paris Saint-Germain and Le Mans shoot blanks in a tactical encounter at the Parc des Princes. Mamadou Niang was the hero for Marseille as the Senegal striker hit the winner in a victory over bitter rivals PSG at the Stade Vélodrome. A late error from Paris-Saint-German goalkeeper Mickaël Landreau gifted visitors Monaco a point at the Parc des Princes. A Wendel hat-trick blasted PSG away as Bordeaux hanged on to the heels of Lyon at the top of Ligue 1. Jimmy Briand inspired Rennes to a victory over PSG to ease the pressure on the Brittany team. Pauleta's late equalizer against Valenciennes kept PSG out of the relegation zone after yet another game in which good chances were spurned by Paul Le Guen's ailing side. Alain Perrin's Lyon romped to a win over relegation candidates PSG with goals from Fred, Sidney Govou and Juninho. Many PSG fans suggested that catch-up Ligue 1 game against Strasbourg was just as important to their relegation-haunted team as the League Cup Final - and sub Amara Diané's goal gave them a precious win. Nancy maintained their season-long unbeaten home run with a win over PSG, a Marc-Antoine Fortuné goal sending the League Cup winners to another league defeat. PSG remained in great danger near the foot of Ligue 1 following a home defeat to Nice, Bakari Koné and Ederson winning the game for "Les Aiglons" in the last eight minutes. Paris Saint-Germain's nightmare season in Ligue 1 continued, with Paul Le Guen's ailing side looking prime candidates for relegation after a hapless defeat at Caen. Amara Diané scored two goals as PSG beat Auxerre and kept alive their hopes of avoiding relegation. Toulouse's Mohamed Fofana denied fellow relegation strugglers Paris Saint-Germain a vital three points with a late equalizer. Jérémy Clément notched his first Ligue 1 goal of the season as Paul Le Guen's side mounted a second-half fightback against in-form Saint-Étienne and climbed out of the bottom three with just one game to go. Two goals from Amara Diané preserved Paris Saint-Germain's Ligue 1 status after a nerve-jangling encounter at Sochaux.