Paris Saint-German and representatives of the city of Paris have reached a deal on the future of the Parc des Princes. For months the future of the stadium and its status as a playing venue at the Euro 2016 tournament had been in doubt, but an agreement on a renovation of the stadium has put to rest the rumours of a possible demolition of the iconic ground.
It seems that the club and city have most of all focused on the stadium’s status as a host city at the Euros. As building a new stadium before the tournament was out of the question, they have instead decided to give the stadium a major upgrade to have it comply with UEFA requirements, but to also refrain from large investments to keep future options open.
The upgrade will focus on improving the players’ areas, press facilities, conditions for disabled people, and the level of spectator comfort and service in general. It also means that the capacity of just over 45,000 seats remains as it is.
At the same time the club and city announced that they will use the next months to look at the long-term future of the Parc des Princes. In this case the intention is to expand the capacity of the stadium and turn it into a world-class modern arena. Whether this includes the option of tearing the current stadium down and building a new one is unsure. In any case these works will have to wait until after the Euros.
PSG’s new Qatari owners have been keen at pushing for a modernisation and expansion of the stadium, but there are few easy options due to technical limitations of the 40-year-old stadium. The discussion therefore turned to building a complete new stadium or even moving to the Stade de France, a move that would be very unpopular with the fans. For the moment however the future of the Parc des Princes seems to have been guaranteed.