Why PSG’s Netflix documentary may not happen
Why PSG’s Netflix documentary may not happen In the wake of Paris Saint-Germain’s UEFA Champions League triumph last season, the club’s president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, revealed that there would be a behind-the-scenes documentary on the club, which would be available to view on Netflix. However, L’Équipe now understands that the series may never see the light of day. The first episodes of the series were meant to have already been released.
Filming started last season, just before the crucial match against Manchester City at the end of January. However, the project is now completely on stand-by. The images were shot by a production company, Words + Pictures, but it is the entrance of Netflix, who wanted scenes of the dressing room and from the pitch, which started to slow progress.
Dolores Emile, the director of the series, wanted certain access, wanting to go into more intimate stories with the players. The idea was to tell a more personal story rather than simply a sporting one, but PSG did not want to facilitate such access. Netflix have confirmed to L’Équipe that initial talks have “slowed due to calendar restraints and unavailability”.
Netflix themselves never officially announced the series on PSG, as if they had sensed that there could be problems down the line. Whilst L’Équipe understands that the whole project is simply on stand-by, PSG have also evoked a calendar problem. “We are considering the next steps by first and foremost being focused on the upcoming sporting challenges,” the Ligue 1 side told the publication.
However, L’Équipe understands that the reality is more complex and that there has not necessarily been goodwill. There was a fear of the series becoming a “non-descript promotional clip”. Nasser Al-Khelaifi has pushed the project, although there is reticence from others within the club, who fear that the daily routine could be disturbed.