In the Ribes family, the general public identifies quite well Jean-Michel, the talkative director and boss of the Théâtre du Rond-point in Paris. Much less, Jean-Martial, the cousin. But anyone who has been in contact with Paris Saint-Germain over the past 11 years has had to deal with him, whether he or she is a journalist, sponsor, supporters club.
55 years old, short and white hair for many years, he has become over time the gray eminence of the boss, Nasser al-Khelaïfi. Rather pleasant character, renowned for his great loyalty in friendship, real talent for crisis management and real toughness when he deems it necessary. Finally the only thing he does not manage is sport and for good reason: the director of communication of PSG does not really have a passion for football. Rather rare profile for this kind of position in the big clubs.
Jean Martial Ribes was born in Paris on December 6, 1966. School was not really his cup of tea. In 4th, he therefore decides to leave alone, with a family in the United States. Initially for one year, he will eventually stay there for 14 years. Studies of Marketing in Massachusetts at Clark University in 1990 and a little also in Japan, at the Kansai University of International Studies. He is passionate about American basketball, plays tennis… But football, still not.
As soon as he finished his studies, he was hired by Ketchum, a subsidiary of the world’s leading communications group Omnicum. He coordinated international affairs in Washington and then in New York. At the age of 28, in 1994, he returned to Paris to set up the French antenna, while taking the vice-presidency “Europe”. Jean-Martial Ribes is quite rare in the media. But here is a video of his interview given to the Figaro Media Buzz, in May 2011 (just before switching to the Qataris at PSG). We hear his rather particular voice, a little hoarse. “Today at the agency we have three poles: an HR pole, an events pole and a digital pole. The idea is to continue to develop this digital pole and to be able to offer interesting communication programs to our clients” . We are always far from the ball.
Boss of a com agency, he will remain so for several more years. Even if, in the summer of 2011, he won the communication contract with the Qataris who were preparing to buy PSG. His job: to make this brand a global brand. It will go from 500,000 fans to 180 million. In addition to the direction of the communication of Qatar Sports Investment – the financial structure which buys the club – he is entrusted with the communication of BeIN media world. It was not until 2017 that he really entered the club’s organization chart as director of communication.
With Nasser al-Khelaifi it is, they say, a “real encounter”. The Qatari, however, does not easily grant his confidence. Whenever necessary, Jean-Martial Ribes protects Nasser, especially during the conflict between Qatar and the other Gulf countries in 2018. BeIN Sports is hacked by Saudi Arabia, under this strange name: BeOUT-Q.
The communicator participates in meetings of the staff every week, manages many other files. Clever, he even finds the shadow interlocutors to bring back the Ultras supporters when Nasser and the team demand their return to the stadium. He puts his nose in the guest lists in the VIP area of the Parc des Princes. And with the press, he decides who enters, who leaves. He attracts the good graces of a website that he considers too critical “Paris United” by giving accreditations, while blocking access to more official media. The newspaper l’Equipe, in particular, will be blacklisted at one time after a paper on financial fair play.
Under his somewhat dilettante airs, the dircom finds himself little by little H24 in a crisis situation, with a boss who shows up at all hours of the day and night. Family life suffers. In May 2022, he decided to give up his post for the much calmer one of Moet Hennessy’s communications director.
Nasser al-Khelaïfi, it is said, experienced it very badly, like a rejected lover. This resignation comes at a time when he is awaiting several court decisions against him. The club’s critics do not hesitate to imagine that Jean-Martial Ribes could serve as a fuse by being accused by Mediapart of being at the heart of a system of destabilization of players and media, via fake Twitter accounts. They have been said since reworked. Jean-Martial Ribes also still sits on the board of the “PSG Foundation” which develops humanitarian projects.