PSG´s Villeneuve on the brink after blast at board

French giants Paris St Germain were mired in a boardroom crisis on Monday with club president Charles Villeneuve facing the axe over his role in a power struggle.

The former TV journalist, who only took over as president last May, set the stage for the clash by sending a scathing letter to his fellow board members demanding more powers for himself and denouncing the way the club is run.

This enraged the club’s main shareholders Colony Capital and, according to the L’Equipe sports daily, the company’s head representative at Paris St German, Sebastien Bazin, is set to fire Villeneuve and assume his position.

In the meantime the rest of the club’s board of directors have announced their resignation ahead of a new council meeting in two weeks’ time at which a successor was expected to be named.

The directors took their decision in a meeting at PSG’s Parc des Princes ground after the club’s 2-1 victory over Sochaux on Sunday.

Speaking after the meeting, former president Simon Tahar said he was “extremely shocked” by Villeneuve’s actions and said the club’s directors had had no choice but to step down.

“The situation is exceptional and it called for an exceptional decision,” he said. “I’ve never seen a situation like this before, when everything seemed to be going well.”

Villeneuve, 67, is believed to be frustrated at what he sees as a lack of ambition from Colony Capital, and L’Equipe suggests he may be seeking to attract lucrative investment from the Middle East.

“It could be that Villeneuve is in contact with potential new owners and has decided to take a stand against Bazin”, said a source close to the club.

Villeneuve, meanwhile, refused to be bowed by the board’s condemnation.

“I’m keeping calm and I will consult my lawyers,” he said on Sunday night.

“I find it very surprising that this has happened. I only asked for the right to exercise my powers.”

The row over Villeneuve is just the latest in a succession of boardroom battles which have beset the club in recent years as it has struggled to take full advantage of its position as the only top-flight side in the densely-populated and wealthy Paris region.

Former Lyon and Glasgow Rangers manager Paul Le Guen took over from Guy Lacombe as head coach in January 2008 and narrowly steered the club away from relegation via a 2-1 win at Sochaux on the last day of the season.

Victory against Lens in the League Cup final secured a place in this season’s UEFA Cup, while PSG also made it to the French Cup final, where they lost to league champions Lyon.

This season the side have qualified for the knockout rounds of the UEFA Cup and currently sit six points behind league leaders Lyon in sixth place.

Le Guen was quick to distance himself from the speculation regarding Villeneuve following PSG’s victory on Sunday.

“Although I try to keep informed, what happens above me is not my business,” he said. “I concentrate on the pitch and above all I protect my players.”

Founded in 1970, PSG have won two French titles, seven French cups and the now defunct Cup Winners’ Cup in 1996.