The big clash between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League is less than a month away, and the tension is continuing to build.
A place in the Champions League quarter-finals will be on the line after the matches on February 15 and March 9, and Real Madrid and PSG‘s relationship has become more intense over the last 12 months due to the European Super League saga from April 2021 and continued speculation of Kylian Mbappe‘s possible transfer to Los Blancos.
As if that were not enough, PSG have added more fuel to the fire with an article in their weekly newsletter.
The title ‘Wales, football, PSG Academy, in that order’ seems to be the club’s way of mocking the banner lifted by Gareth Bale when Wales secured qualification to Euro 2020.
Bale and his Wales team held up a flag which said ‘Wales, Golf, Madrid, In That Order’ when they secured a Euro 2020 place after beating Azerbaijan in November 2019.
The title has nothing to do with the tone of the article, where PSG discuss the recent opening of the PSG Academy Caerphilly, outside Cardiff.
“We are very proud of the progress of the Academy,” said Alex Harrap, founder of the PSG Academy.
“This opening in Wales is a new adventure. This is a country passionate about football. We are honoured and excited to offer Welsh children the opportunity to discover the Parisian teaching methodology.
“After this first step, our goal is to extend our presence to another four or five areas in Wales.”
PSG claim there is no mockery of Real Madrid
Sources from PSG say they are not mocking Real Madrid with their article, adding that the intention is to raise awareness in Wales by using humour and referencing Bale. They insist it’s not an attack on Real Madrid.
“This camp marks a new stage in our international development,” added international director of the PSG Academies, Nadia Benmokhtar.
“There are already 15 countries that host our programs. Our goal is not only to train players, but also to share our technical knowledge with qualified local coaches, that will provide the training methodology of Paris Saint-Germain.”
