After eliminating Paris Saint-Germain in the Coupe de France, Paris FC players and staff were quick to play down any suggestion of a growing rivalry between the two Parisian clubs.
The question had already surfaced before and after the first Paris derby of the year, won by PSG on January 4 in Ligue 1. It resurfaced again on Monday night after Paris FC’s surprise 1–0 win at the Parc des Princes in the Coupe de France round of 16.
Journalists attempted to frame the result as the start of a new rivalry — but the protagonists themselves firmly rejected the idea.
Asked in his post-match press conference whether the defeat could “add spice” to a future rivalry between PSG and Paris FC, Luis Enrique replied bluntly:
“Not really.”
Kebbal: “They’re far too strong for us”
Decisive on the night with the assist for the winning goal, Ilan Kebbal also dismissed the notion of rivalry when speaking in the mixed zone:
“No, no — there’s no rivalry. They’re far too strong for us at the moment,” the left-footed midfielder said with a smile.
“They’re very, very far ahead of us — even compared to many other teams. I’ve played against great players and great teams, but honestly, they’re too strong.”
“Today, we won, we had some luck, and we’re happy. But the most important thing now is Sunday’s league match against Nantes.”
Gilli: “Seven, eight, nine years behind PSG”
Promoted to Ligue 1 this season, Paris FC currently sit 15th after 17 matchdays and are fully aware of the gap separating them from the reigning European champions.
Head coach Stéphane Gilli was particularly clear after the qualification:
“Maybe seven, eight, nine years… That’s how long it could take to reach where PSG are today,” he said.
“So there is no rivalry. I’m proud of my players, the club, the owners and our supporters — but we can’t talk about rivalry.”
“Just look at the league table and at what this team has achieved in recent years — Champions League, almost every trophy won… There is no rivalry.”
Same message from the captain
After the Ligue 1 derby earlier this month, Paris FC captain Maxime Lopez had already expressed the same view:
“It’s great to have two clubs in Paris, but today there’s too big a gap between PSG and Paris FC,” he said.
“Our priority is staying up. Maybe one day we can build a story in Ligue 1 and create a real derby, but we’re still very far from that.”
“We’re only at the beginning of our project. Talking about a real derby right now would be too pretentious.”