PSG threaten legal action against Lyon owner Textor

Paris St Germain's majority owner is Qatar Sports Investments

Paris St-Germain have threatened Lyon owner John Textor with legal action unless he stops what the French champions feel are "defamatory and damaging statements" about the club.

PSG believe they have been left with no alternative other than to respond to Textor’s interview this week with Brazilian publication Globo.

In it, Textor, who through his Eagle Football Holdings group is a majority shareholder in Lyon and the biggest shareholder in Premier League club Crystal Palace, said he was competing against "a country, not an owner" and that PSG were a "model of unbridled spending, without restrictions".

PSG have been majority owned since 2011 by Qatar Sports Investments, which has links with the Qatar Investment Authority - the country’s sovereign wealth fund.

In a letter signed by PSG’s general secretary Victoriano Melero, seen by BBC Sport, the club has called Textor’s comments "false, incendiary, undignified and nonsensical".

They add: “We would like to respond to a few of your most unwarranted smears that are particularly false, hypocritical, and disrespectful not only to PSG but the wider French football family.

“You falsely state PSG has 'a model of unbridled spending without restrictions' while ignoring the fact your own club has had significant issues with Uefa and DNCG restrictions under your management."

French football's financial watchdog, the DNCG, announced in July last year it would monitor Lyon's transfers and wage bill for the 2023-24 season after ruling the Ligue 1 club did not provide sufficient financial guarantees.

The measures were lifted in December after the DNCG approved Lyon's new budget.

In the letter, PSG also highlighted that American Textor criticised the Premier League's spending rules in February.

They added: "You mention you are competing 'against a country' with PSG, ignorant of the fact that a significant portion of our club today is owned by US investor Arctos – which we thought you might be aware of, coming from the US.

"Less than 20% of PSG’s commercial revenue comes from Qatar companies, while PSG has signed 50 new partners in the last six years and only one of these was a Qatari brand."

PSG end the letter by stating if Textor continues his "defamatory and damaging statements" they "will be forced to add to your growing number of lawsuits in Brazil with additional action in France".

Textor is the largest shareholder of Brazilian top-flight club Botafogo.

Match-fixing and corruption claims made in Brazil by Textor were rejected by the STJD - the Rio de Janeiro-based sport judicial arm, funded by the Brazilian Football Confederation - earlier this month.

Textor dismissed the STJD report, saying he was never called to offer any substance to his claims and the author of it supports a rival club to Botafogo.

CLARIFICATION: This article was updated on 21 July 2024 to clarify details around Textor’s claims of match-fixing and corruption in Brazil