Jean Pierre Rivère becomes the new majority shareholder of OGC Nice. This Niçois, who made his fortune in real estate, has decided to invest 11 million euros in the club and will hold 51% of the shares, while the remaining 49% will be gathered in a holding company.
“For now, we remain at the club to assist Jean-Pierre,” says Gilbert Stellardo, “after that, we will see how things evolve. The main thing is to have a desire to do things together. Naturally, Mr. Rivère will be the boss because management needs to be effectively ensured.” This increase will influence the budget and help address the shortfall in revenue.
Will the 2011-2012 season be a good one?
Will he be the man who enables OGCN to become a major club in line with the ambitions that will come with the opportunity to evolve, in two years’ time, in the future Grand Stade? The person seems laid-back and clearly knows the business world, which he handles with a certain ease. If he wants to be a mere supporter in training, we believe he will quickly learn the ropes of this new role. The issue, if there is one, is the scale of his financial commitment which, while significant, is not particularly flexible either.
On this point, the future President of the Aiglons was clear from the outset: “I have a financial surplus from my activities that I can and want to invest in my dream club. But there is no question of endangering my financial situation to chase football fantasies. My priority is my family and the future of my children. I will keep a cool head!”
Therefore, we can expect a significant improvement in the management of OGCN, but… caution remains the watchword.
Increasing the club’s capital is the solution.
It is true that the Nice budget seems incongruous compared to Olympique Lyonnais’ 120 million. Under these conditions, competing with the best is tricky, and this is also why OGC Nice narrowly avoided relegation last season. 11 million euros is, therefore, a significant aid to straighten things out and “build a more comfortable team than in previous years.”
The new majority shareholder has a clear goal: “We want to try to give a new impetus to this club, to rebuild it. We are going to launch, in agreement with the municipality, the projects for the training center and the training ground. We hope to get started as early as July. For the players, we will try to recruit without selling. Concerning Ospina and Mounier, the most sought-after, if they don’t want to leave, we now have the means to keep them.”
But his goals don’t stop at the players! “I have ambition for this club that I love. A great team is not enough.
Supporters are essential.
We need to have the same message. I will rely on them, and together, we’ll see how we can build this club.
A team cannot function without supporters.
We want to reignite people’s interest in rallying around OGC Nice. And it starts with coming to the stadium.”
Jean Pierre Rivère specified his commitment: “I am not here for a financial operation. If I want to make money, I do it in my field – real estate. Without offending Lyon, even if they had given me the club for 1€, I wouldn’t have taken it. For me, it was OGC Nice or nothing at all.”
It is, therefore, more a matter of prestige than anything else.
The human adventure should begin no later than July 11, 2011, after fulfilling the usual administrative and corporate obligations. Jean-Pierre Rivère hopes he has made the right choice: “I hope that my pleasure will exceed the problems I’m promised.”
For his part, Gilbert Stellardo affirms with a smile: “I am happy to pass on the sleepless nights and constant stress to Jean-Pierre!”
