French Football Club PSG Eyeing Growth In Asia, Pledge Deeper Connection With Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Bernama) – French football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are eyeing a further increase of the club’s popularity in the region after launching their Asia-Pacific office in Singapore, on Friday. PSG’s chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Nasser Al- Khelaifi said the regional headquarters will serve the Ligue 1 champions’ aim to build on their international presence, increase the brand’s visibility, cultivate new partnerships and nurture the significant fan base it has in the region. Al-Khelaifi, who was delighted with the launch of their first international office on the Asian continent, is looking forward to bringing the club closer to the fans. “Asia is our top priority market. We have a lot of fans in this region and see tremendous talent, which we look forward to developing through our best in class training programmes, as well as promoting the core values of our Parisian identity,” he said in a statement on Friday. The launch of the office coincides with PSG’s Asia Tour which will see the club play in the International Champions Cup (ICC) in Singapore followed by the Trophee des Champions in Shenzhen, China, on Aug 4. Highlighting the importance of Malaysia to PSG, the club’s Asia Pacific Managing Director, Sebastien Wasels, who will head the Asian office, said the fans in Malaysia are highly engaged and inspired by the club’s ambitions and successes. “Since the launch of our fan club in Malaysia, we have seen incredible growth. PSG’s Asia Tour is the first of our initiatives to bring international level championships to Asia and engage with the Club’s fans as well as for the PSG’s sponsors and partners to benefit from the club’s growing popularity in the region. “Asia has always been the cornerstone of the club’s international development strategy. We hope to leverage our club participation in the ICC and the launch of our Asia Pacific headquarters to build a strong foundation here in Asia and continue to engage with both fans and partners in the region,” he said. Being one of the fastest growing football clubs in the world, the seven-time Ligue 1 champions have attracted many great football talents, including Ronaldinho, David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and more recently Neymar Jr., 2018 World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe, Edinson Cavani and Thiago Silva. PSG’s international fan base is now the 7th largest with over 55 million globally, of which 17 million are in Asia. As a part of the Asia Tour, PSG is scheduled for an engagement session with the Malaysian fans at the Fan Club, Sports Hub in Singapore at 4.30pm on Saturday, before the side take on English Premier League giants, Arsenal at the National Stadium at 7.30pm. The fans will be able to see the trophies up close, meet footballing legends, take photos and get their jerseys signed. The club brought four of its trophies- Coupe De La Ligue, Coupe De France, Trophee De Champions and Hexagoal from France. -- BERNAMA