French soccer club taps Perpere
Exec named prexy of Paris' only team
Tuesday's decision followed the sudden resignation of Charles Bietry, the veteran head of Canal Plus' sports operations, who took over PSG last year, only to see a string of poor results lead to supporter unrest last weekend.
Wealthy club
Canal Plus owns the French capital's only major soccer team. Despite a budget of some $53 million for the current season -- it is the richest club in the country -- PSG was bundled out of the European Cup Winners Cup competition and is languishing in mid-table, having failed to win the French championship since the mid-1990s.
Perpere is a regular attendee at PSG games and is expected to take a less interventionist approach to the club than Bietry. Perpere joined Canal Plus in 1995, having previously been the chairman of the Provencal daily newspaper.
Canal Plus, which has based much of its popularity on airing films and sports, believes a strong Parisian side is essential for a healthy French soccer championship. The paybox has exclusive rights to live coverage of the French First Division games.
