The Experience, the exposure and the opportunity to get up close and personal with those who matter in French football is priceless and intangible. I was all smiles the day I received the call from Eli Kondoh, Communication manager of StarTimes Ghana that I have been settled upon to take part in the maiden French Ligue 1 VIP Tour.

In actual fact, it came to me as a surprise because my mind was on putting a comprehensive plan together for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.

As a journalist been offered a chance to be amongst the best in the World is something that I looked up to. One of the highlights of my career was back in 2003 when I travelled to Europe to record a documentary on Ghanaian players abroad.

That trip took me to countries like Italy, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates and Bastia in the Corsica Province of France. That trip was fun as I had the chance to meet and greet the likes of Samuel Inkoom, Ahmed Barusso, Kwadwo Asamoah, Massahudu Alhassan, Emmanuel Agyemang Badu, Richmond Boakye Yoadom, and Raman Chibsah amongst others.

As a result, it was in order to be in high spirits and look forward to a trip that would offer me a greater chance to appreciate the organization of one of Europe’s best League. Again, there was another twist to this whole trip and that is because the French Ligue 1 has over the years offered a wonderful platform to African players to showcase their talent.

Legends like Austin Jay Jay Okocha of Nigeria and Ghana’s Abedi Ayew Pele. It also worth mentioning that current President of Liberia George Weah shot to fame in France when he played for Monaco, PSG and later Olympic Marseille. We also boast of players that I grew up watching on Television. One name that runs through the aforementioned list is PSG. And here came that proud moment when it was confirmed I will be a special guest at PSG’s crowning at Parc des Princes. The first thing that came to mind was the Champions League game between PSG at Manchester United. But this year I watched a number of games from the Parc des Princes by the kindness of StarTimes. Is that not where Neymar Jnr and Kylan Mbappe play? Woow, what a pleasant privilege, as I will be meeting Gianluigi Buffon, Edinson Cavani, Dani Alves and Angel Di Maria I said to myself. On the evening of May 16, 2019 I departed Accra for Brussels enroute to Paris. I arrived in Paris, very charged to get down to business. It took ten minutes to freshen up at Hotel de Mercure and head to the PSG stores for the day’s first assignment. At the PSG stores, I was overjoyed when media coordinator for the LFP Thibault Musson presented to me a customized (Henry) PSG shirt and that changed my mood and gave an indication that there is something good to loom ahead to. The tour later took us to the Arab Institute in Paris to witness the 100 years celebration of French Football. The exhibition highlighted the achievement of French Football from 1919 to 2019, capturing among other things the World Cup success in 1998 and 2018. They also used the opportunity to project some of the finest talents like Zinedine Zidane, Michel Platini, Marcel Dessaily, Thierry Henry and the current generation that won the World Cup in 2018 in Russia. Aside from the fans, it was evident that the French Football Federation took the pain to invest in infrastructure, human and other resources. Their journey started a century ago, but not without challenges. In all, they went through various stages of rebranding especially in the area of marketing and brand positioning. That include change of FFF Logo’s change in leadership and personnel at the FFF and the multi-million investment in the young budding talents. Indeed French Football has come of age and no wonder they are chalking success on the field. As beautiful and stunning as Paris looks, one will make a huge mistake by travelling to France without going for sightseeing.
Night life in Paris is amazing and the episode was explosive. The food, the beautiful landscape, the wine, the culture, the tourist sites were awe-inspiring. I went to bed on Friday night dreaming about the Parc de Princes extravaganza. Obviously, PSG had wrapped up their 8th League title two weeks ago. But needed to beat Dijon in their final home match of the season at Parc des Princes. Manager Thomas Tuchel was going to touch his first silverware in French Football. The former Borussia Dortmund boss who replaced Unai Emery at the Parc des Princes saw an impressive season crashed into disappointment at some point in the campaign following the Champions League exit to Manchester United and the French Cup loss to Rennes. But his League triumph won’t suffer any blip as he won in grand style with three games to spare.

Four talking points

The passionate fans of PSG…… I was in the company of seven colleague journalists from Brazil, Germany, Portugal and Ivory Coast and walking to the Stadium from our hotel we ran into partisan supporters of PSG clad in their club colours and partying outside the parc des Princes four hours to the game. And not even the rains would stop them from enjoying and savoring the moment. For those who couldn’t make it to the Stadium, the party had already began for them. But those who made it into the Stadium were in for a good treat. The star players need to cap off an exhilarating season with a sweet home win against Dijon and that was exactly the case. The Champions gave their fans a sweet package following a 4-0 win on the night. Not even the position of Dijon on the League table would make them enjoy any favor from their host.

The PSG Project and the future………………… It is evident that they have taken over Ligue 1 and the trend will continue for years to come. The Quality of players make them a dominant force, to extent that no club can match their potency domestically. They may be having issues in Europe but not on the local front where they have won the last seven domestic cups in France. Monaco, Lyon and Marseille’s threat is long gone. PSG took the opposite approach last summer and splurged €400m on Neymar and Kylian Mbappé. Despite all their managerial changes and new players – Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2012, Edinson Cavani in 2013, David Luiz in 2014, Ángel Di María in 2015, Julian Draxler in 2016 and so on – their results in Europe have remained disappointingly consistent. But their story in Ligue 1 has been, nothing than astonishing.

Marketing and Branding of Ligue 1, one of best in Europe

There is a rise in Brand value and it’s clear that the LFP is doing a lot in that regard. Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille, Lyon and Lille have made significant rise and that ultimately affects the image of French Football with no shred of doubt. Walking around parc des Princes and reading about Ligue 1, one thing that was clear is the growth in both fixed tangible assets (stadium, training ground) and disclosed intangible assets (purchased players) with brand value. Again spreading the game to other parts of the World adds to the marketability and visibility of the brand. Through StarTimes, Ligue 1 is consumed across Africa and other parts of the World and that couldn’t have been better.

Organizational Acumen

The organization of PSG’s crowning was top drawer. It was immaculate, scintillating and superb. The event was faultless, it was incident free and fans who were inside parc des Princes were given an excellent treat. This was a special moment for me and I know fans around the World enjoyed it as well, courtesy StarTimes.

On the other hand, another special moment for me was the visit to the Broadcast van for the game at parc des Princes. In fact, it was my first time of seeing a 15 camera Television O.B van as Television commentator, seeing the van inspired me to work harder and go international.

I pray I get the chance to work for Ligue 1 in the not too distant future. It will be a dream come true. My time in Paris couldn’t be complete without a visit to the historic Eiffel tower.

The tour officially ended on Sunday after the interview with Brazil legend Edmilson who played for Olympique Lyon from 2000 to 2004. Today two Ghanaian players Abdul Majeed Waris (Nantes) and Baba Abdul Rahman (Reims) play in Ligue 1. Whiles John Boye has gained promotion with Metz for next season.

The experience is intangible and memorable and I pray it happens annually. Before I end my article, I want to express sincere gratitude to StarTimes and LFP for the honour and priceless opportunity. I left Paris beaming with smiles, pride and Joy yearning for more.

Thank you StarTimes
Thank you LFP
Long live French Football