Paris Saint-Germain cannot win. Even after beating Nantes 3-0 in Ligue 1 on Sunday, the French club was criticized by railway officials for leaving a carbon footprint.
The criticism came from the director of a French railway company. After the away game in Nantes, the PSG players flew back home to Paris. The city of Nantes is approximately 239 miles (384 km) west of Paris, France. However, the railway official complained that the fact that PSG did not take into account the use of the train as a means of transport was a disappointment.
Planes, trains and not cars
The train journey from Nantes to Paris can be completed by high-speed train in two hours and forty-five minutes. However, PSG management defended their decision to fly their plane back to their country’s capital. Club officials claimed outgoing trains were unavailable after their late win on Sunday night. The director of the railway company offered to modify the deadlines for future commitments that can accommodate PSG with transport after games. Instead, PSG management chose the convenience of flying, which prevents players from being forced to spend an extra night’s sleep inside a hotel room.
From Paris to Nantes with @qatarairways pic.twitter.com/JqCutBdsJd
– Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_espanol) September 3, 2022
The importance of sleep patterns for players is an overlooked aspect of football. Since league games are held in conjunction with various regional tournaments and the quadrennial World Cup, professional players are often forced to play more than seventy matches in the calendar year. These matches go on in perpetuity, with exhaustion often revealed during the performance of players in the second half of a 90-minute game.
Sleep hygiene is one aspect of home field advantage. For teams like PSG, the importance of sleep takes precedence over the long train journey, forcing players to suffer from insomnia due to elevated levels of stress hormones in the body after games. Additionally, the foreign environment that players are forced to inhabit with constant travel results in inadequate sleep. The night before a match is already at a disadvantage for the visiting team, as they have to sleep in an unfamiliar environment.
PSG looks to the future with a tight schedule
Meanwhile, PSG are tied for first place in Ligue 1 with Marseille. However, the Parisian club maintains the overall leadership. Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé continue to display their poetry in motion. Mbappe’s brace is credited to Messi for providing two assists in PSG’s 3-0 shutout of ten-man Nantes. Next, PSG take on Juventus in the UEFA Champions League group stage match on Tuesday.
Photo Credit: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire
