Arsene Wenger said that Neymar’s £199million switch from Barcelona to PSG is “what happens when countries own clubs.”
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Community Shield meeting with Chelsea, Wenger claimed the Brazil superstar’s world record move has left clubs such as Arsenal unable to compete financially.
PSG are owned by Oryx Qatar Sports Investments. Their President Nasser Al-Khelaifi was congratulated by France President Emmanuel Macron at a charity event on Thursday.
The Gunners boss said: “Once countries own football clubs everything is possible and it has become very difficult to respect Financial Fair Play.
“We still live with rationality. We are not the only ones. I think 99 per cent of the clubs do that - but of course we cannot compete at that level.”
Neymar is expected to be unveiled in Paris on Friday.
“We crossed the £100m line last year and only one year later, we’re crossing the £200m line; Wenger said.
“When you think that Trevor Francis was the first £1m player and that looked unreasonable, that shows you how much distance and how far we have come, how big football has become.
It’s beyond calculation and beyond rationality.”
Wenger spoke after an open training session held by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. He added: “This is why I always pleaded for football to live within its means.
"The numbers are now comparable to the NBA basketball. They are out of context with society.
“The price of a player depends on the identity of the buyer and you can not put it on the context of the market. It is the financial potential of the buyer that decides.”
France Budget Minister Gerald Darmanin said yesterday: “It’s better that this football player pays his taxes in France than elsewhere.”
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