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For the first time in nearly 36 years, a Paris derby will take place in the top tier of French football as reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain face the nouveau riche Paris Football Club (PFC) on Sunday.
None of the players participating in Sunday’s game, with PFC’s 38-year-old third-choice goalkeeper Remy Riou likely to be left out, were alive during the last Paris derby in Ligue 1.
That derby took place on February 25, 1990, when Moroccan midfielder Aziz Bouderbala netted two goals, leading Racing Paris 1 (formerly Matra Racing) to a 2-1 victory over PSG at the Parc des Princes, which they shared at the time.
During the early 1980s, wealthy businessman Jean-Luc Lagardere made significant investments in football and even secured France midfield stalwart Luis Fernandez from the then-reigning champions PSG in 1986.
The 48,000-seat Parc des Princes was sold out for derby matches back then, although public interest soon declined.
Lagardere ended his financial support in 1989, and Racing, one of France’s oldest clubs, established in 1896, was relegated at the conclusion of the following season.
Paris had to wait for another affluent investor – this time the Arnault family, owners of LVMH, who backed PFC last year, leading to their promotion from Ligue 2 and enabling fans to witness a Ligue 1 derby again.
The Parc des Princes was less than half-filled for the last PSG-PFC derby on December 17, 1978, but it will be packed to capacity on Sunday.
