Paris Saint Germain threatened with grant cut over violence and racism

Paris mayor Betrand Delanoe has threatened to stop funding Paris St Germain unless effective measures are taken to rid the capital club of hooliganism.The death of a PSG fan following last month’s 4-2 UEFA Cup defeat by Hapoel Tel Aviv has triggered a nationwide debate about how to free French soccer from violence and racism. “I have suggested that the collective agreement between the city of Paris and PSG should be reinforced to include the club’s new commitments (in terms of security)”, Delanoe told French daily Le Parisien in an interview on Wednesday. “The payment of the subsidy would be tied to an effective implementation of those measures,” he added. PSG have pledged to take action to bar fans known to be violent from entering their Parc des Princes stadium. The city of Paris pay 2.3 million euros ($3.06 million) a year to the club.”The few hundreds of people identified by police (as being violent) have nothing to do at Parc des Princes and must be barred from entering the stadium,” Delanoe said. “The true PSG supporters… can no longer be taken hostage by a handful of neo-Nazis who flout the true values of sport,” he added. The lower section of the Boulogne Kop, an area of the Parc des Princes where PSG’s most extreme fans traditionally assemble, has been closed on police orders until further notice.A league match between PSG and Toulouse scheduled for last Sunday, which would have been the capital side’s first home game since the incidents, has been postponed for security reasons. A policeman shot dead 25-year-old Julien Quemener and injured another fan while under attack from supporters after the Nov. 23 game.Witnesses said the policeman opened fire on a mob of PSG fans who were chasing a Jewish supporter of Israeli team Hapoel outside Parc des Princes. PSG have been tainted by hooliganism for years. Their next home game is against Panathinaikos in the UEFA Cup on Dec. 13.Source: www.cnn.com