It is hard to know what Pierre Ferracci found stranger: the fact that he was fully suited among a set of bare-chested Paris FC ultras singing his name or that, behind him, in what was the final game of his presidency, his side were playing Monaco off the park. “I didn’t see any of the first 15 minutes of the game because I was with the ultras,” he admitted. On the pitch as well as in the stands was evidence of how far his side has come since he joined back in 2006.At that time, Les Parisiens were in the amateur third tier of French football.
He initially arrived in an administrative function before becoming owner and president in 2012. It wasn’t until 2016 that his side reached Ligue 2.It is Ferracci’s work that made the club ripe for investment in what had been seen as as a one-club capital, an anomaly in Europe.
But it is thanks to his successor and the club’s new owners, the Arnault family, that the club now harbour very serious European ambitions.Paris FC’s supporters display a tifo in honour of club president Pierre Ferracci during the win over Monaco. Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP/Getty ImagesFerracci remained as president and with a significant share when the Arnaults, the owners of the luxury goods brand LVMH and seventh on Forbes’ rich list in 2026, bought a majority share in 2024.
It was intended that Ferracci would remain as president until the end of the season, at which point he would part ways with his remaining share. His share remains for now, but his role in the running of the club is now over.“You have to know when to stand aside,” he said on Sunday.
The timing feels right. The years of toiling in the lower divisions and the multiple near misses at promotion are in the past; they belong to the Ferracci era, which felt part of the past even when it was still the present.
While he will remain as honorary president, he will take a backseat role as the club looks to hit new heights.Liam Rosenior who has been appointed to take them there. Fresh from his failed stint at Chelsea, the Englishman had intended to take time out of the game before being tempted by the project, more similar to the one that he took at Strasbourg than the one that he inherited mid-season in the Premier League.Rosenior’s management style has a greater effect on aspiring players, and at Paris FC, there are plenty of those.
Rudy Matondo, Patrick Zabi, Luca Koleosho and Pablo Pagis, signed over the summer, all have bright futures. Few clubs in French football could afford such stars.It is Paris’ new signings that did the business against Monaco.
The aforementioned Pagis excelled, running rings around Lamine Camara and Denis Zakaria in midfield, but it was Lassine Sinayoko who was once again the star of the show, contributing to all goals in a 3-1 win.The Malian scored two and set up Pagis for the third. He has now had a hand, either scoring or assisting, in 13 of Paris FC’s 16 goals this season.
After his impressive form at Auxerre last season, it was a surprise that others didn’t take a gamble on the 26-year-old forward. Their loss is Paris FC’s gain.It was Sinayoko’s hat-trick that gave Paris FC a 3-2 win over Marseille.
His brace and last-minute penalty earned a dramatic 4-3 win over Rennes. Further wins against Strasbourg and Nice and a draw against Lyon have Les Parisiens where they wanted to be, albeit ahead of schedule.Paris FC Féminin are already a powerhouse on the European scene and the men’s side want to emulate their success. “The long-term target is to be one of the biggest clubs in the country.
We want to be one of the biggest clubs in Europe, and I know that is one of the aims of the ownership,” said Rosenior earlier this week.Outplaying Filipe Luís’ Monaco suggests Paris FC are on the right track. Their rivals are toiling: Monaco have dropped off, Rennes lack consistency, Lyon are about to lose manager Paulo Fonseca, Marseille’s prospects are limited by financial constraints and the likes of Lens and Lille are unpredictable, given the inexperience in their respective dugouts.It would, however, be unfair to characterise this Paris FC side as a challenger by default.
And the pace of change is remarkable. It was only earlier this year that the club recruited Antoine Kombouaré, a managerial firefighter, to spare them an immediate return to Ligue 2.skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionParis FC head coach Liam Rosenior issues instructions to his players.
Photograph: Abdul Saboor/ReutersWhat a difference one summer can make. Paris FC spent almost €80m in the window, the third-highest total in Ligue 1; no side in France’s top-flight had a net spend (-€72m) by the end of the summer.
Therein lies the impact of wealth in a league that is lacking it.That the effect is felt so acutely and so immediately on the pitch, however, is also a reflection of a strategy and a vision that, with Rosenior and a focus on youth, is perfectly coherent. Paris Saint-Germain, whose hegemony Paris FC seek to challenge, floundered for years following the arrival of their new owners but Paris FC know where they want to go, how they want to get there, and are well on their way.Quick GuideLigue 1 resultsShowLe Havre 1-5 PSG, Nice 5-2 Rennes, Lille 1-0 Lens, Troyes 2-0 Le Mans, Strasbourg 5-1 Auxerre, Lyon 2-0 Angers, Paris FC 3-1 Monaco, Marseille 2-0 ToulouseTalking points Didier Digard became the first Ligue 1 manager to lose his job this season following Le Havre’s 5-1 loss to PSG, which left the Normandy club with just two points from their opening nine games.
Le Havre’s president, Jean-Michel Roussier, was opposed to the decision to relieve Digard, the second longest-serving manager in the league prior to his dismissal, of his duties. He has therefore resigned, while reports in France state that sporting director Demba Ba has also left his role, which the former Newcastle striker only took up over the summer.
A whole club rebuild mid-season? The club’s Blue Crow owners have an unenviable task.
It was Achraf Hakimi who did the damage for PSG and consigned Digard to the sack. The Moroccan has been popping up in goalscoring positions all season, and he was involved in all five goals, scoring a hat-trick and setting up Mika Godts and Senny Mayulu for the other two.
Five wins in a row in the league have shot PSG to the top of the table and allayed the concerns that their start-of-season form had generated. Not your usual Derby du Nord as Lille hosted Lens on Friday night.
Lens had banned their own fans from the away end, a punishment for their dangerous pyrotechnic antics away to Club Brugge in the Champions League That had already incited Uefa to ban the French club’s fans from their next two European away games. It was also a derby lacking the usual pre-match noise, with Davide Ancelotti and Yannick Cahuzac turning down the volume in a game dubbed the “duel of the novices”.
But this was perhaps a coming-of-age moment for Ancelotti. At the very least, it was LOSC’s best performance under the Italian manager, son of Carlo.
Olivier Giroud’s late goal rewarded a dominant performance from Lille. With Benjamin André and Nabil Bentaleb also starring, it was the experienced heads who did the business for their inexperienced coach.
Pos Team P GD Pts 1 PSG 9 11 20 2 Lille 9 6 18 3 Lyon 9 8 17 4 Paris FC 9 6 17 5 Rennes 9 1 16 6 Marseille 9 7 15 7 Monaco 9 2 15 8 Nice 9 1 14 9 Lens 9 3 13 10 Lorient 8 1 12 11 Toulouse 9 -1 10 12 Strasbourg 9 -2 10 13 Auxerre 9 -10 10 14 Brest 8 2 9 15 Angers 9 -8 8 16 Troyes 9 -9 8 17 Le Mans 9 -7 7 18 Le Havre 9 -11 2 This is an article by Get French Football News