In an interview with Midi Libre, Montpellier chairman Laurent Nicollin announced his intention to sell shares in the club. He spoke of feeling “weary” and did not rule out the possibility of multiple ownership.
What if Montpellier were no longer run by the Nicollin family (who have been at the helm of the club since 1974)? The possibility was raised by Laurent Nicollin in an interview with Midi Libre on Thursday. The president and owner of the Hérault-based club acknowledges discussions with five potential investors and expects “concrete offers” by mid-May.
“The important thing is that the club is financially sound and that someone can give it a boost to sign players and get us back into Ligue 1. My brother and I won’t be the naysayers, insisting at all costs that we keep it. We don’t want to drive the club into bankruptcy and send it back to the Division d’Honneur, where our father took it. I’d expected the end to come later. If it comes sooner, it doesn’t matter,” explains the son of the late Louis Nicollin.
L. Nicollin – “there’s a sense of weariness”
Deeply affected by the relegation to Ligue 2 at the end of last season (“I lost 12 kg”), Nicollin admits he hasn’t quite moved on yet. He even says he isn’t enjoying himself. “I’m not giving 200 per cent as I should be to support my coach and players even more – they deserve to have me there,” he admits. The 53-year-old acknowledges that he is no longer the same: “It’s age, the relegation which has hit hard, the deaths of certain people, the behaviour of others, the club’s 50th anniversary… There are lots of things.”
The chairman says he is particularly weary of his club’s financial situation and the bleak state of French football: “When one year you have 30 million, the next season 10, then 5, it’s complicated.” He is therefore ready to step down. “If I have to let go of the reins, I will let go. There’s a sense of weariness. The only thing that was close to my heart and gave me a boost was the stadium. There’s no new stadium, no TV rights. I’m ready to fight, but with proper weapons. Fighting with a pocket knife? I’m past that age.”
In Strasbourg, Nicollin “almost had a tear”
While considering offers, Nicollin isn’t ruling out shared ownership. “The main thing is that the club remains financially sustainable. After that, if it becomes a shared ownership arrangement, that won’t be my problem. This club belongs to us, but we’re not royalty. Life and circumstances change. If a partner comes up to us and says they want 80%, we’ll sit down at the table with my brother, think it over and see what we can do. And if the club is financially secure and jobs are saved, at some point, we’ll step aside.”
He also praises the BlueCo model in Strasbourg. “In December, I spent a weekend in Strasbourg with my wife,” he says. “Marc Keller invited us to the Strasbourg v Lorient match. When you see the stadium, the presidential box, the lounges—what we wanted to do ourselves—it’s a real slap in the face. I nearly cried. We left at half-time.” Proof that behind the admiration lies, above all, a deep sense of unease, fuelled by the feeling of no longer being able to compete on equal terms.
Post Comment