Paris Saint-Germain Handball
Paris Saint-Germain Handball is a French professional handball club founded in 1941, and based in the city of Paris in France. The club is the handball department of Paris Saint-Germain.
PSG play in the highest tier of French handball, the LNH Division 1. Their home ground for LNH matches is Stade Pierre de Coubertin, which has a seating capacity of 3,400 spectators. For EHF Champions League matches, the club play at Halle Georges Carpentier, which has a seating capacity of 4,500 spectators.
Initially called Patriotes d'Asnières, the club has gone through several name changes: Asnières Sports, Paris-Racing-Asnières, Paris-Asnières, PSG-Asnières, and Paris Handball. After being bought by Paris Saint-Germain owners Qatar Sports Investments in 2012, the club became Paris Saint-Germain Handball.
Since its inception, the club has won 20 titles. Domestically, Paris SG have clinched seven LNH Division 1 titles, four French Cups, three Coupes de la Ligue, a record four :fr:Trophée des champions |French Super Cups and two :fr:Championnat de France de handball masculin de Division 2|LNH Division 2 titles. In international club handball, the capital side finished runners-up in the 2016–17 edition of the Champions League. PSG also have a reserve team that currently play in the :fr:Championnat de France masculin de handball de Nationale 1|Championnat National 1, which serves as the :fr:Structure pyramidale du handball français|third tier of French handball. They have played in Nationale 1 since 2017–18, after clinching the :fr:Championnat de France masculin de handball de Nationale 2|Championnat National 2 title and winning promotion during the :fr:Championnat de France masculin de handball de Nationale 2 2016-2017|2016–17 season.
History
First titles (1941–2012)
The Parisian club was founded in 1941. Initially, it took the name of Patriotes d'Asnières before becoming Asnières Sports one year later. Asnières Sports was presided by Christian Picard, whose son Gérard Picard took over during the 1975–1976 season and remained president until 2003.In 1987, the club's management succeeded in convincing the Paris City Council to partner Asnières Sports and create a major handball team in the capital. This resulted in the Hauts-de-Seine team moving to Paris and being renamed Paris-Racing-Asnières then Paris-Asnières. Relegated in 1989, Paris-Asnières immediately bounced back to the top flight in 1990 after winning the D2 title. At the time, the club's most notable players were future French internationals Jackson Richardson and Patrick Cazal.
In 1992, the club came under the management of Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, a partnership that lasted 10 years. This led to another name change, and Paris-Asnières became PSG-Asnières. PSG-Asnières finished second in the LNH Division 1 during the :fr:Championnat de France de handball masculin 1995-1996|1995–96 season and then reached the French Cup final in 2001, losing to Montpellier.
During that time, PSG-Asnières managed to attract several international players such as Stéphane Stoecklin, Denis Lathoud, Gaël Monthurel, Nenad Peruničić and Olivier Girault. The latter set up home in Paris in 1999, playing for the club until 2008 and then coaching the team until 2011.
Under yet another name, Paris Handball began 2002 with new club owner Louis Nicollin. During the next decade, the club played in the EHF Champions League during the 2005–06 season, and won its first major trophy in 2007 with star player Kévynn Nyokas. Paris Handball registered a :fr:Coupe de France de handball masculin 2006-2007|28-21 win in the French Cup final over :fr:Pays d'Aix Université Club handball|Pays d'Aix.
But there were tough times too. At the end of the :fr:Championnat de France de handball masculin de D1 2008-2009|2008–09 season, the club was relegated to :fr:Championnat de France de handball masculin de Division 2|Division 2. Paris Handball won the :fr:Championnat de France de handball masculin de D2 2009-2010|LNH Division 2 the very next season and rejoined the top clubs. In 2012, the team narrowly avoided relegation in the last round of play.
Domestic dominance (2012–)
After being bought by Paris Saint-Germain Football Club owners Qatar Sports Investments in 2012, the club became Paris Saint-Germain Handball. Under the initiative of Nasser Al-Khelaifi, a new management and playing team was assembled. Jean-Claude Blanc was named General Manager, Philippe Gardent signed as first-team manager, and a host of international stars arrived at the French capital, including Didier Dinart, Luc Abalo, Samuel Honrubia, Mikkel Hansen, José Manuel Sierra and Antonio García.In the 2012–13 season, PSG claimed their maiden league success, which also meant the club secured a spot in the EHF Champions League. However, PSG were denied the double by Montpellier in the French Cup final.
Big-name signings kept coming in the 2013–14 season with the arrivals of Daniel Narcisse, Igor Vori, Jakov Gojun, Fahrudin Melić and Gábor Császár. PSG reached the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time in its history, but failed to keep up the pace with Dunkerque in the league. Despite this, the season finished on a high note, thanks to a victory in the :fr:Coupe de France de handball masculin 2013-2014|French Cup final against Chambéry, adding a second national cup trophy to the club's honours.
In the 2014–15 season, new manager Zvonimir Serdarušić and star signing Nikola Karabatić led the capital club to its second league title following a nail-biting battle for top spot against Montpellier. PSG claimed the trophy on the last day of the season, after a win over :fr:Tremblay-en-France Handball|Tremblay. The league crown rounded off a domestic treble, going alongside the French Cup and the :fr:Trophée des champions |French Super Cup that they had won after beating Nantes and Dunkerque, respectively. On the European stage, PSG's hopes were dashed, for a second time, by Veszprém in the Champions League semifinals.
PSG continued its winning ways in the 2015–16 season by claiming a second French Super Cup and a third league title. However, the crowning moment was reaching the Champions League Final4 for the first time in its history. Along the way, the club downed THW Kiel at the Sparkassen-Arena, where the German side had been undefeated for four years; topped its group for the first time ever; and trumped Kiel in the third-place play-off. Additionally, Mikkel Hansen set a new record for goals in a Champions League season, with no fewer than 141 strikes to his name.
Identity
Parent club Paris Saint-Germain represent both the city of Paris and the nearby royal town of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. As a result, red, blue and white are the club's traditional colours. The red and blue are Parisian colours, a nod to revolutionary figures Lafayette and Jean Sylvain Bailly, and the white is a symbol of French royalty and Saint-Germain-en-Laye.On the club's crest, the Eiffel Tower in red and the blue background represent Paris, while the fleur de lys in white is a hint to the coat of arms of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The fleur de lys is a royal symbol as well and recalls that French King Louis XIV was born in the town. Throughout its history, PSG have brandished several different crests, but all of them have featured the club's three historical colours. Likewise, PSG's most iconic shirts have been predominantly red, blue or white, with the remaining two colours included as well. The club's official mascot, Germain the Lynx, also sports PSG's traditional colours.
Grounds
Stadium
The Stade Pierre de Coubertin, with a seating capacity of 3,400 spectators, serves as PSG's home stadium for LNH Division 1 matches. For EHF Champions League games, on the other hand, the club use Halle Georges Carpentier as its home venue. It has a seating capacity of 4,500 spectators.Training centre
In 2022, the club's first team and academy will move to the Paris Saint-Germain Training Center. On the second plateau of the new training ground and sports complex handball players – professionals as well as academy attendees – will enjoy the use of two fields, a stand with a capacity of 250 spectators, fitness rooms, recovery areas, staff offices and meeting rooms.Supporters
Between 2010 and 2016, with the impossibility for fan groups to support parent club Paris Saint-Germain at home or away, the PSG faithful turned to Paris Saint-Germain Féminine, and to a lesser extent to the Paris Saint-Germain Youth Academy sides, being the very rare case of fan groups supporting their club's women's football team. Liberté Pour les Abonnés and Nautecia, which were among several groups that reunited Boulogne and Auteuil supporters, were behind this initiative. PSG ultras have also occasionally attended big matches of the club's handball team ever since it was bought by PSG owners Qatar Sports Investments in 2012.Ownership and finances
, ruler of Qatar, bought 70% of parent club Paris Saint-Germain through state-owned shareholding organization Qatar Sports Investments. Colony Capital and Butler remained minority shareholders. In March 2012, QSI purchased the remaining 30% stake to become PSG's sole shareholder, valuing the club at €100m. PSG thus became one of the wealthiest clubs in the world. Paris Saint-Germain Handball were then bought by PSG owners QSI in 2012.In late June 2019, Paris Saint-Germain announced a long-term contract extension with kit manufacturer Nike, which is now one of European football's most lucrative and the biggest sponsorship agreement in the club's history. PSG are tied to the American brand until 2032 and will more than triple their previous €25m deal with an annual figure in excess of €80 million. PSG said the new Nike deal will cover the men's and women's football teams, as well as their handball outfit.
Honours
| Type | Competition | Titles | Seasons |
| Domestic | LNH Division 1 | 7 | 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, :fr:Championnat de France masculin de handball 2018-2019|2018–19, 2019–20 |
| Domestic | :fr:Championnat de France de handball masculin de Division 2|LNH Division 2 | 2 | :fr:Championnat de France de handball masculin de Division 2|1989–90, :fr:Championnat de France de handball masculin de D2 2009-2010|2009–10 |
| Domestic | Coupe de France | 4 | :fr:Coupe de France de handball masculin 2006-2007|2006–07, :fr:Coupe de France de handball masculin 2013-2014|2013–14, :fr:Coupe de France de handball masculin 2014-2015|2014–15, :fr:Coupe de France de handball masculin 2017-2018|2017–18 |
| Domestic | Coupe de la Ligue | 3 | :fr:Coupe de la Ligue française de handball masculin 2016-2017|2016–17, :fr:Coupe de la Ligue française de handball masculin 2017-2018|2017–18, :fr:Coupe de la Ligue française masculine de handball 2018-2019|2018–19 |
| Domestic | :fr:Trophée des champions |Trophée des Champions | 4 | :fr:Trophée des champions 2014 |2014, :fr:Trophée des champions 2015 |2015, :fr:Trophée des champions 2016 |2016, :fr:Trophée des champions 2019 |2019 |
| Domestic | :fr:Championnat de France masculin de handball de Nationale 2|Championnat National 2 | 1 | :fr:Championnat de France masculin de handball de Nationale 2 2016-2017|2016–17 |
First-team
Current squad
;Goalkeepers- 1 Vincent Gérard
- 12 Yann Genty
- 9 Adama Keïta
- 20 Mathieu Grebille
- 99 Dylan Nahi
- 11 Benoît Kounkoud
- 14 Ferran Solé
;Left Backs
- 23 Viran Morros
- 24 Mikkel Hansen
- 71 Elohim Prandi
- 7 Sadou Ntanzi
- 44 Nikola Karabatić
- 10 Dainis Krištopāns
- 18 Nedim Remili
Transfers
2020–21 season
;Joining- Yann Genty '
- Mathieu Grebille '
- Elohim Prandi '
- Dainis Krištopāns '
- Ferran Solé '
- Robin Dourte '
- Rodrigo Corrales '
- Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson '
- Kim Ekdahl du Rietz '
- Sander Sagosen '
- Edouard Kempf '
- Luc Abalo '
- Robin Dourte
2021–22 season
;Leaving
- Dylan Nahi
Notable former players
Youth academy
Current squad
;Goalkeepers- 26 Gauthier Ivah
- 88 Loïck Spady
- None
- 6 Adrien Schaff
- 2 Gautier Loredon
- 42 Adrien Chaudanson
- 7 Noah Lenclume
- 97 Andy Goujon Bellevue
- 17 Adrien Charlette
- 13 Louis Despreaux
Staff and management
| President |  Nasser Al-Khelaifi |
| Deputy general director |  Jean-Claude Blanc |
| General manager | Bastien El Ghouzzi |
| Sports coordinator | Thierry Omeyer |
| Youth academy manager | Thierry Perreux |
| First-team coach |  Raúl González |
| Assistant coach | Jota González |
Presidents
| 1 | Christian Picard | 1941–1975 | |
| 2 | Gérard Picard | 1975–2003 | :fr:Championnat de France de handball masculin de Division 2|LNH Division 2 |
| 3 | Jean-Claude Lemoult | 2003–2009 | Coupe de France |
| 4 | Jean-Paul Onillon | 2009–2012 | |
| 5 | Nasser Al-Khelaifi | 2012– | LNH Division 1 Coupe de France Coupe de la Ligue :fr:Trophée des champions |Trophée des Champions |
Managers
| :fr:Patrice Canayer|Patrice Canayer | 1990–1994 | |
 Risto Magdinčev | 1994–1997 | |
| Nicolas Cochery | 1997–2000 | |
 :fr:Boro Golić|Boro Golić | 2000–2003 | |
| Maxime Spincer | 2003–2004 2011 | |
| :fr:Thierry Anti|Thierry Anti | 2004–2008 | Coupe de France |
| Olivier Girault | 2008–2011 | :fr:Championnat de France de handball masculin de Division 2|LNH Division 2 |
| :fr:François Berthier |François Berthier | 2011–2012 | |
| Philippe Gardent | 2012–2015 | LNH Division 1 Coupe de France :fr:Trophée des champions |Trophée des Champions |
 Zvonimir Serdarušić | 2015–2018 | LNH Division 1 Coupe de France Coupe de la Ligue :fr:Trophée des champions |Trophée des Champions |
 Raúl González | 2018– | LNH Division 1 Coupe de la Ligue :fr:Trophée des champions |Trophée des Champions |