Paris Saint Germain have made the pre-match story about the size of their dressing room, not the football. PSG officials raised concerns at a pre-game meeting on Monday, unhappy that they were using the away dressing room at Red Bull Arena, and Uefa ended up allocating them a spare room normally used by the officials. Aston Villa are using Red Bull Salzburg’s home dressing room ahead of the Paris Saint Germain vs Aston Villa meeting.
PSG’s complaint before kickoff
BBC Sport reported that the French club wanted the same size space as Villa, with the issue raised before the game rather than left to fester until after kickoff. The source also said PSG were unhappy enough to press the point because they were the reigning Super Cup champions after beating Tottenham on penalties last year. That is the only real reason this has become more than a minor facilities gripe, because Uefa had to act.
The response was straightforward enough. Uefa found PSG an extra room, and the space they were given was normally used by the officials. That solved the practical problem, but it also underlined how little room there is for this sort of complaint to stay private once a club at PSG’s level decides to raise it.
Villa arrive with history attached
Villa’s side of the story is quieter, but their presence still gives the match a bit of weight. They are going into their first Super Cup since 1982, and they reached this stage as Europa League runners-up in 2025. Their five-match winning run in that competition, listed as WWWWW, is a decent reminder that this is not just a novelty appearance.
There is also the basic contrast of status. PSG are the holders in the source framing, while Villa arrive with the historical hook and the footballing momentum. Lucas Digne is not the story here, and neither is Unai Emery, but Villa’s side of the draw is still tied to a club that got to the final and kept winning along the way.
The result is a slightly odd pre-match scene for a Super Cup. The football will matter once the game starts, but the first headline has already gone to a dressing room complaint and Uefa’s fix.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
