Neymar’s world record-breaking transfer to PSG shows it’s business as usual for Qatar

Brazilian superstar Neymar officially joined Qatar-owned French club Paris Saint-Germain after triggering a world record release clause at Spanish giants FC Barcelona yesterday.

The 25-year-old Brazil forward signed a five-year deal with the French club after they triggered his €222m release clause and will stay with the club until June, 2022, reported Gulf Times.

Neymar, who will be presented to PSG fans on Saturday, is reportedly going to earn a salary of around €550,000 per week.

Neymar told PSG’s official website that he was thrilled with the move to the French side.

“I’m extremely happy to join Paris Saint-Germain. Since I arrived in Europe, the club has always been one of the most competitive and most ambitious. And the biggest challenge, what most motivated me to join my new teammates is to help the club to conquer the titles that their fans want,” he said to the site.

PSG President Nasser Al Khelaifi could also not hide his delight.

“In six years, we’ve built a very ambitious project that has already taken us to the highest level of national and European football. Today, with the arrival of Neymar Jr, I’m convinced that we’ll come even closer, with the support of our faithful fans, to realising our greatest dreams,” he said.

The transfer doubles the previous world record fee paid when Paul Pogba moved last August from Juventus to Manchester United for €105m.

However, the move has not been without its own set of problems. Both FC Barcelona and Spain’s La Liga questioned whether the move complied with UEFA's financial regulations, with the club saying they would report the deal to European football’s governing body.

But UEFA insisted the move will not automatically trigger a failure to comply with FFP regulations.

“The transfer of Neymar to PSG will have an effect on the club's finances over several years but the impact of such an operation cannot be judged in advance, notably as PSG could well sell several players for a significant amount,” UEFA said in a statement.

Business as usual

With the world record-breaking deal under the belt, Qatar is projecting an image of ‘business as usual,’ wrote New York Times in an opinion piece.

It said that by signing the Brazilian star for its flagship sporting asset, Qatar is projecting a business-as-usual image to foreign allies and investors after two months locked in a bitter diplomatic dispute with its neighbours.

“They’re trying to literally score a point here,” said Christopher Davidson, who teaches Middle East politics at Durham University in northeast England.

“It (the fee) sounds like a lot of money but given the stakes are hundreds of billions of dollars because of the World Cup, Neymar will be seen as a sound investment by Qatar. It proves they’ve the funds available and they’ve some liquidity to still be taken seriously.”

“This signing can demonstrate that Qatar is still viable, still able to have international influence and still able to be serious player in international soccer,” said Davidson.