PSG players are booed by their own fans as Rennes show them how to do it

PSG’s season has been defined by anti-climax. Signing Lionel Messi was meant to help the club finally ascend from nouveau-riche pretenders to undeniable heavyweights. They may have the world’s most talented attacking trio, but the Mauricio Pochettino team is the least attractive PSG side of the Qatari era.

Their defeat to Real Madrid last week was the most damaging in a decade that has been punctuated by similarly humiliating European exits. It showcased individual errors, a lack of leadership and their fragile mental fortitude. Even with Messi onboard, a full-strength PSG – injuries have hindered them before – could not break the cycle. The desperation with which PSG chase their European holy grail only makes Madrid’s comeback all the more embarrassing.

The Collectif Ultras Paris, a leading PSG fan group, has had enough. The supporters released a damning statement before PSG’s game with Bordeaux on Sunday, bemoaning the lack of a “genuine gameplan” and complaining that the squad is “nothing but a bunch of ‘stars’ who barely complement one another”. They said club president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi was unfit for his job, claimed Mauricio Pochettino was “not the true decision-maker” and blamed the players for being “seen more often at fashion week than at meetings with fan representatives”. The group asked all PSG fans to unite in “non-violent action”.

That action proved simple but dramatic on Sunday. Throughout their team’s 3-0 win over a woeful Bordeaux, the crowd at the Parc des Princes roundly booed and whistled Messi and Neymar. As the two forwards stood over a free-kick in the first half, the din intensified and was followed by ironic cheers when Neymar fired over. Neymar was loudly booed when he tapped in PSG’s second