Achraf Hakimi did not hide his frustration after Paris Saint-Germain’s 1-0 defeat to RC Lens in the Trophée des Champions. Beyond the result, the Moroccan full-back was particularly critical of the way the match was organized at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, where the atmosphere was overwhelmingly in favor of Lens.
Hakimi was clearly disappointed. Speaking to Ligue 1+, the PSG defender first admitted that his team had created enough chances to change the outcome of the final. However, he also believes some of the conditions were not worthy of a match that is supposed to put both teams on equal footing.
Hakimi Calls for Neutral Venues and Fairer Fan Allocation
“We did everything to win. We had chances, we controlled the whole match,” Hakimi explained, before pointing to one issue that particularly annoyed him: “There are things we can’t control. Like coming here to play on this pitch, which isn’t a neutral venue, and without our supporters.” The Moroccan international believes a final should be organized differently, with a more balanced split of fans. “When you play a final, half the stadium should be for your supporters and the other half for the opposition.” In his view, the atmosphere at Bollaert felt much more like a regular Ligue 1 away game than a national final.
Hakimi nevertheless refused to use the situation as an excuse for PSG’s defeat. Despite dominating and creating several clear chances, Paris failed to score. “It’s not an excuse, because we did everything to win and, unfortunately, we weren’t able to score,” he insisted. His criticism was aimed more broadly at the organization of the competition, as he believes details like these also matter for the image and development of French football. “If we want our league to grow, we have to look at these things.”
Stade Bollaert-Delelis had been selected following a draw organized by the LFP, effectively giving Lens the advantage of playing in their own stadium in front of a largely home crowd. Hakimi would therefore have preferred the final to be played at a neutral venue with a more even distribution of supporters. Still, he concluded without trying to avoid responsibility for the result: “I repeat, it’s not an excuse. We have to keep working.” PSG therefore leave Lens without the trophy, but the match has sparked a genuine debate over how the Trophée des Champions should be organized.
