Football
Ian Holyman, France correspondent 9y

Paris mayor: PSG need to expand Parc des Princes to rival Barcelona, Madrid

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has told Le Parisien she backs Paris Saint-Germain's plans to extend the Parc des Princes after Euro 2016.

PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi has already stated his ambition to see the club's stadium extended beyond its current 45,000 capacity to match the plans of wealthy owners Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) to establish the club at the summit of the European game.

Residents around the Parc des Princes have consistently opposed plans to make the venue bigger, but Hidalgo, 55, believes the club requires a grander stage on which to play.

"I think it's indispensable," she explained. "The atmosphere in the Parc des Princes is great -- it's like a cauldron, but it needs to be made bigger. The scale of the Parc des Princes is too restricted for big European games.

"We need a 60,000 capacity Parc, and we'll still be below the Camp Nou in Barcelona or the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid."

The Parc des Princes -- one of 10 venues for Euro 2016 -- is partly built over Paris' ring road, the Peripherique, making extension difficult, while the close proximity of residential buildings complicates the task still further.

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