Report: BVB CFO Thomas Treß riled PSG boss with comments over FFP and Neymar’s sale to Al Hilal

BVB CFO Thomas Treß apparently left PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi stunned by highlighting the sale of Neymar to Al Hilal in his bid to question whether FFP rules were being applied effectively on Thursday.

The European Club Association general assembly took place in Berlin on Thursday, and executives from the leading clubs in the continent were part of the meeting. BVB CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke and CFO Thomas Treß were also present at the general assembly.

And according to the Athletic, Treß stunned those present by suggesting that Paris Saint-Germain’s sale of Neymar to Al Hilal for more than 80 million euros gave them an unfair advantage in the transfer market. He also questioned whether UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules were being effectively applied to all clubs.

Treß appeared to be claiming that the summer spending spree of clubs in Saudi Arabia had distorted the transfer market. He suggested that the Saudi spending had given certain European clubs a way out of Financial Fair Play restrictions, allowing them to in turn sign other players from rivals.

A number of clubs benefited from Saudi spending in the summer, including the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle United, Liverpool, and PSG. The sales helped certain European clubs generate substantial transfer fees, allowing them to spend more money on new signings which would not have been possible otherwise.

PSG President and ECA chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi felt that the comments in a public setting had embarrassed him, and he waited outside the room after the meeting to confront Treß. Hans-Joachim Watzke then called Al-Khelaifi after the meeting to apologise for the comments.

Borussia Dortmund and PSG are set to face off in the UEFA Champions League in 11 days’ time at the Parc des Princes.