August 22 – French competition authorities have cleared British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe to take over Ligue 1 club Nice OGC and become the first British club owner in the French league.
Earlier this year Ratcliffe reportedly had a €100 million (£88.77 million) offer accepted by the club. Chairman and majority owner of chemical company Ineos, he is reportedly worth £18.15 billion and has been building a portfolio of sports assets.
Since 2017 he has been the owner of Swiss second division side Lausanne. Last year he pumped £110 million into Britain’s America’s Cup sailing team and in May he took charge of cycling team Sky.
In an interview with the BBC Ratcliffe, a die-hard Manchester United fan, admitted that he was still learning the ins and outs of the football business. “We’ve dipped our toe in the water with football, it’s a very different sport,’ said Ratcliffe. “It’s quite a complicated sport and world, so we’re in the process of learning. We haven’t got to where we’ve got to in our chemicals and business world by being rash and impetuous and stupid, obviously.”
Nice currently have American and Chinese owners. If he successfully completes the takeover. Lille, Bordeaux, Marseille, Nantes, Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain are the other French topflight clubs with foreign owners.
Former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira is the head coach at Nice, who are sitting joint top of Ligue 1 after winning their first two matches of the new season.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1713515454labto1713515454ofdlr1713515454owedi1713515454sni@o1713515454fni1713515454