‘A clear injustice’: PSG Women rail over points deduction in season of pain

Paris Saint-Germain have lost only one league game all season yet are still only fifth in the Première Ligue. How is that possible?

On Monday 22 December, just after the final league game of 2025, the French Football Federation issued a bombshell statement: three of PSG’s wins this season had been turned into defeats (0-3) because of a licensing issue regarding the Canada international Florianne Jourde.

The sanction followed a complaint by Fleury after they lost their league game against PSG 4-0 on 8 November. They referred to the “absence of a request for an International Transfer Certificate” (ITC) at the time Jourde’s licence was registered.

PSG responded by saying that they did, in fact, request the ITC from the US Soccer federation, where the 21-year-old had been playing for the University of Southern California in the college league. However, as that league is not considered professional, US Soccer responded that she did not require this mandatory clearance.

The problem: prior to her time in the United States, Jourde played in Canada and though the league there was amateur it was considered “organised” by Fifa and thus treated as professional for registration purposes, meaning an ITC was required. Fleury uncovered this loophole in the Canadian international’s registration and even informed Le Havre and Strasbourg – sides PSG had already played shortly before – of their right to appeal. French clubs have 30 days after the end of a match to finalise the match report and identify any potential irregularities.

Once informed of the appeal, PSG formalised an ITC request with Fifa, which was validated within 24 hours without penalty, acknowledging a good-faith administrative error despite the request being made outside the transfer window. In its disciplinary committee report, the French Football Federation (FFF) stated that the Parisian club was aware of the matches played in Canada but “believed that Jourde was registered in a university programme” and therefore did not inform the federation about it.

It further noted that it had sent an email to PSG in early September asking if the player had been registered with a club affiliated with a national association during the previous 30 months. To this, the club replied “confirming that the player has not been registered with a club associated with a national federation”. This information later proved to be incorrect, as did the details initially entered on her licence, with PSG listing “USC Athletics University – Canada” as her previous club.

Pending the resolution of Fleury’s dispute with the FFF, Jourde did not appear on a PSG team sheet until 17 December, a 1-1 draw against Benfica in the Champions League. To make matters worse she had also sustained an injury while on duty for Canada in late November.

Just as the players were heading off for the holidays, the sanction was handed down: the three victories earned against Strasbourg (1-0), Le Havre (2-0), and Fleury (4-0) were forfeited. Despite being tipped off by Fleury, Strasbourg and Le Havre had not filed appeals with the FFF, explaining off the record to PSG that they viewed it as a technical administrative error with no sporting impact.

However, the regulations state that “any club that includes on a match sheet a player arriving from abroad who has not undergone the procedure for obtaining an International Transfer Certificate will forfeit the match if reservations, a complaint, or an ‘evocation’ are introduced”.

PSG said they consider the sanction “totally disproportionate”, adding: “The team has been heavily penalised on the sporting field for a simple administrative issue that has since been resolved without difficulty by Fifa: this is a clear injustice.” The club also points out the fact that the federation had validated the player’s license at the start of the season, qualifying her for all league matches despite the missing ITC.

Pleading good faith, PSG believed they would be docked only three points for the match against Fleury. They did not anticipate a nine-point hit that would see them fall from second to fifth in the league, and to find them 16 points behind leaders OL Lyonnes. Internally there is a feeling they have been harshly treated “because they are Paris Saint-Germain”.

PSG were not told about the decision beforehand and only learned of the sanction via the official press release on the federation’s website on 22 December. The club have promised “to appeal this decision and will pursue all avenues of appeal provided for in the regulations in order to assert its rights”. Within the league, the decision is causing friction, as they favour certain clubs – including those in the relegation battle – despite their defeats on the field. The Lens player Sofia Guellati even called it a “distorted championship” on social media.

The FFF decision comes at a time when PSG have already been eliminated from the Champions League after a catastrophic league-phase campaign, finishing 17th out of 18. The club opted for a training camp held in Jerez, in southern Spain, in early 2026 ahead of the restart, in order to revitalise the squad. They have set their players a clear goal: finish in the top three of this Première Ligue season to qualify for the Champions League playoffs next year. The decision regarding PSG’s appeal is expected to be announced in the coming days.

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