Soccer: half of the Ligue 1 clubs under foreign flag

With the planned takeover of Olympique Lyonnais by American John Textor, Ligue 1 has once again proved its attractiveness to foreign investors. Now, French owners represent only half of the contingent. Examining the workforce.

Foreign owners

Clermont. Swiss Ahmet Schaefer is at the helm of the Auvergne club, which he bought in 2019. Born into a family of Zurich bankers - his grandfather, Alfred Schaefer, was Chairman of UBS - he runs a holding company called Core Sports Capital. In addition to Clermont Foot, the businessman owns Lustenau (Austria).

Toulouse. Promoted Toulouse changed hands in 2020, following its purchase by the American fund RedBird Capital. It now holds 85% of the capital, while Olivier Sadran, the club's former owner and president, holds the remaining 15%. Last June, RedBird Capital pulled off a major coup by offering AC Milan 1.2 billion euros.

Paris. Since 2011, the club has been owned by Qatar Sports Investment (QSI), a subsidiary of the sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority. Initially a majority shareholder with 70%, the following year QSI bought out the 30% still held by Colony Capital, the previous owner. In ten years, almost 1.4 billion euros have been invested in transfers alone.

Pleasant. In 2019, the Côte d'Azur club passed into the hands of the British petrochemical company Ineos, headed by billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, who paid some 100 million euros for the deal. In addition to OGC Nice, his group owns FC Lausanne (in Switzerland), the Ineos Grenadier cycling team and a one-third stake in the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team.

Marseille. Despite constant rumours of a sale, Olympique de Marseille is still owned by American businessman Frank McCourt. Having made his fortune in real estate in the United States, the executive previously owned the Dodgers baseball franchise in Los Angeles.

Lille. Since the handover from Michel Seydoux in 2017, the Lille club has been going through a period of turbulence. Taken over by businessman Gérard Lopez, it was then briefly owned by the Elliott fund, one of its creditors. LOSC is now owned by the Luxembourg fund Merlyn Partners.

Lyon. Barring a turn of events, Olympique Lyonnais will be flying the American flag at the start of the new academic year. In the meantime, businessman John Textor, via his Eagle Football holding company, is set to buy the majority of the club's shares held by the reference shareholders, namely Holnest (Jean-Michel Aulas' holding company), Pathé and IDG Capital. John Textor already owns the clubs Botafogo (Brazil) and Molenbeek (Belgium). He also owns a 40 % stake in Crystal Palace (England).

Auxerre. AJ Auxerre, a historic figure in the French top flight, is back in Ligue 1 with Chinese James Zhou at the helm. The billionaire, who made his fortune in the packaging industry, bought the club in 2016 by acquiring 60% of the shares, then inflated his stake through a capital increase. The remainder is held by the AJA soccer association.

Monaco. In 2011, the Principality of Monaco agreed for the first time to cede control of the club, in this case to Russian billionaire Dmitri Rybolovlev. The businessman, who made his fortune in potash, holds 66.67% of the shares in AS Monaco, with the remainder still held by the Monaco executive.

Troyes. Since 2020, Estac has been majority-owned by City Football Group (CFG), controlled by a private equity fund close to the Abu Dhabi royal family. Also the owner of Manchester City, CFG has gradually built up a network of around ten clubs in the USA (New York City FC), Australia (Melbourne City FC), Italy (Palermo FC), Spain (Girona FC) and India (Mumbai FC City).

French owners

Lens. Joseph Oughourlian took over as head of the club in 2016 and has been its sole shareholder since 2017. The businessman founded the Amber Capital investment fund, which was one of Lagardère's main shareholders. In addition to RC Lens, Oughourlian is a majority shareholder in Calcio Padova (Italy), Millonarios de Bogota (Colombia), and a minority shareholder in Real Zaragoza (Spain).

Brest. Stade Brestois has been run since 2016 by Denis Le Saint, who owns the club, along with his brother Gérard. Shareholders in 99%, they also manage the eponymous family business, specializing in the distribution of fruit and vegetables, seafood, meat and frozen foods.

Nantes. Since 2007, FC Nantes has been owned by French-Polish businessman Waldemar Kita, who holds 96 % of the club's shares. Kita co-founded Corneal, an ophthalmology specialist which was subsequently sold, and Vivacy Laboratories, which manufactures injectable products to combat wrinkles and skin imperfections.

Lorient. Loïc Féry has been at the helm of the Breton club since 2009, and holds the majority of the shares. The businessman also runs Chenavari Investment Managers, an asset management company specializing in credit and financing markets.

Angers. SCO d'Angers is now in the hands of Saïd Chabanne, a Franco-Algerian businessman and founder of the Cosnelle group, which specializes in the charcuterie trade. He became the club's majority shareholder in 2011, and subsequently bought out minority shareholders to hold 93% of the capital.

Ajaccio. The Corsican club, just promoted to Ligue 1, is owned by the Ajaccio Impérial Corse Investissement holding company, made up of several equally influential shareholders. Its chairman is Alain Orsoni.

Montpellier. Bought by Louis Nicollin over forty years ago, Montpellier Hérault Sport Club (MHSC) remained in the family fold after his death in 2017. It is presided over by his son Laurent Nicollin, who also co-directs the eponymous waste management group with his brother Olivier.

Strasbourg. In just a few years, Racing Club de Strasbourg has come back from administrative relegation to the amateur ranks, and is now owned by several "historic" shareholders as well as Marc Keller, the club's ex-player and current chairman.

renne. Stade Rennais is wholly controlled by Artémis, the holding company of the Pinault family. In addition to the Breton club, it controls the luxury goods group Kering, and holds stakes in dozens of other companies.

Reims. Stade de Reims has several shareholders, including two main ones: Jean-Pierre Caillot, who is also club president and owner of a transport company, and Didier Perrin, who runs an advertising agency. The Thiénot and Taittinger champagne houses also hold shares.

Who's going down to National 3?

National 3 There will only be two transfers from N3 to R1. The unfortunate ones are Bayeux and Romilly.

Who moves up from National 2 to National 3? Twelve clubs, the top of each group, are promoted to National 2 at the end of the season. However, if a National 2 club is administratively relegated to National 3 (by decision of the DNCG, for example), it is not another National 3 club that is promoted, but the best 14 from National 2.

Who's moving up to National 2022-2023?

Titleholder	Stade Laval
Promoted at the start of the season	Le Puy Foot FC Martigues Paris 13 Atlético FC Versailles

What National 3 level?

National 3 is the fifth tier of soccer in France, with 168 teams divided into twelve groups of 14 according to their league affiliation. A championship season runs from summer to spring of the following year.

Who goes up to League 1 in 2022-2023?

On Friday, the Ligue de Football Professionnel unveiled the fixture list for the 2022-2023 Ligue 1 season. PSG will kick off the season at Clermont, while Stade Rennais will host neighboring Lorient. With four relegations at the end of the cycle and a World Cup in the middle, it's a season unlike any other.

Who will be relegated to Ligue 2 in 2022? By losing out to Auxerre in the play-offs after a penalty shoot-out, Saint-Étienne were relegated to Ligue 2. For Auxerre, it was the end of the road. Saint-Étienne faced Auxerre on Sunday, May 29, 2022.

Who will be broadcasting Ligue 1 in 2023?

Competitions	Champions League
Competitions	League Bundesliga Serie A
Season 2021-2023	be at sport
Competitions	top league
Season 2021-2023	CHAÎNE RMC Sport

When will the 2022-2023 Ligue 1 calendar be released?

On Friday June 17, the Ligue de soccer professionnel unveiled the full calendar for the 2022-2023 season, which will kick off on the weekend of August 6 and 7 and run until June 4. The classic between PSG and OM will take place on October 16, and the "Olympico" on November 6.

Who's moving up to d2?

Ligue 2: Toulouse, Ajaccio and Auxerre move up, Dunkerque and Nancy relegated. After two seasons in Ligue 2, champions Toulouse will return to the top flight in 2022-2023, as will AC Ajaccio (2nd with 75 points) and Auxerre.

Who will move up to Ligue 2 in 2021?

Who will move up to Ligue 2 next year?

This season, Laval and Annecy move up to Ligue 2, while Nancy and Dunkerque are relegated to the National. Saint-Etienne, Metz and Bordeaux will play in Ligue 2 next season. For the time being, Girondins have been administratively demoted to National by the DNCG.

Who has won the most Ligue 1 titles?

Who has won the most Ligue 1 titles? AS Saint-Étienne and Paris Saint-Germain are the most successful clubs in the competition, with ten titles.

Which club has been in Ligue 1 the longest?

TOP5 CURRENT LENGTHS IN LIGUE1: 1 â Paris Saint-Germain 45 years (1974) 2 â Olympique Lyonnais 29 years (1989) 3 â Girondins Bordeaux 26 years (1992) 4 â Stade Rennais 24 years (1994)

What is the most successful club of all time?

Real Madrid (Spain) 91 titles: 63 domestic and 28 international.