July 31 – Supporters of Cardiff City and Welsh cyclist Geraint Thomas on the closing stages of the Tour de France last weekend, would have seen further inroads into the sports business by Ineos who debuted their shirt sponsorship of OGC Nice last weekend in a friendly in the Welsh capital.
The multinational chemical and oil company owned by chairman and CEO Jim Ratcliffe is in the closing stages of acquiring the French club for a reported €100 million.
Ratcliffe, who relocated to nearby Monaco to reduce his personal tax bill, already owns Swiss side Lausanne and has been repeatedly linked with a potential £2 billion acquisition of Chelsea.
Announcing the Nice shirt sponsorship, an Ineos statement said: “OGC Nice and INEOS share a taste for performance and competition, and through this partnership have high ambitions for the future.
“Already heavily involved in the world of sport, INEOS will be displayed on the jerseys of the Gym professional team for all Ligue 1 matches, and will also benefit from communication materials at the Allianz Riviera and on the Club’s media, as well as Hospitality subscriptions for home matches.”
Last season Nice’s shirt sponsorship was given away for free to promote its endowment fund which supports vulnerable children.
The arrival of Ineos and Ratcliffe will mark a new era for Nice with an owner who pushes the boundaries of performance,
Team Ineos completed the Tour de France with the Colombian Egan Bernal winning and teammate Geraint Thomas finishing second. Later this year Ineos will support Eliud Kipchoge’s bid to become the first person to run a marathon in less than two hours.
OGC Nice finished seventh in Ligue 1 last season.
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