A petition launched on Sunday by OGC Nice supporters is calling for INEOS to leave the club. In a few hours, it garnered more than 1,300 signatures. Amidst criticism of sports management, anger towards the leadership, and concern for the future of the Gym, the protest is gaining momentum.
For several days, tension has been rising around OGC Nice. Even before the kickoff of the match against Toulouse on Saturday, the Populaire Sud had issued a statement denouncing the new jerseys for the season. The group of supporters accused the management of straying from the club’s colors and identity. In the text, the words were clear: “you make us ashamed.”
On the field, the night got even darker. Defeated by Toulouse (0-1), the Gym conceded their third loss in three official matches this summer. At halftime and again at the final whistle, whistles echoed in the stands of the Allianz Riviera. The supporters expressed their concerns over a squad deemed insufficient and a failed start to the season.
The next day, a new step was taken with the posting of a petition on the platform change.org. Its objective: to demand the departure of INEOS, owner of the club since 2019. In just over 24 hours, more than 1,400 people have already signed.
“You can tell Jim Ratcliffe doesn’t care about OGC Nice”
The petition was initiated by Loris De Gregorio, creator of the page Nice Stadium Supporters. His community gathers nearly 20,000 followers on social media. For him, the discomfort is deep. “We were all in favor of INEOS’s arrival in 2019. There were good things initially, but now, there’s no direction, no investment. Since the acquisition of Manchester United in 2023, you can see that Jim Ratcliffe doesn’t care about OGC Nice. When he stated in March that he doesn’t watch Gym’s matches, it’s disrespectful and worrying,” he confides to our colleagues at Francebleu.
On social media, supporters are heated: “We mostly all agree, INEOS out! Ratcliffe, Bocquet, and his crew out. We don’t need them, they need to be told during the match against Auxerre. Now more than ever, Nice is us,” writes Jonathan. Some, like Bruno, are already hoping for a return of Gym’s former president, Jean-Pierre Rivère, who will officially leave his position in two days on August 20: “Rivère will come back with a buyer, but for this year it’s going to be complicated.”
Officially, the club is not on the market. However, budgetary choices fuel doubts. According to multiple sources, INEOS allegedly reduced the budget by 15% this summer. The transfer market reflects this policy: despite bringing in 70 million euros with the departures of Evan Guessand, Marcin Bulka, and Gaetan Laborde, among others, the club reportedly invested only around twenty million. The new recruits are considered limited, and the sporting results seem to confirm it.
“Stop the pretense”
From INEOS, no official reaction has been published so far. But the criticisms have been mounting for several months. Last March, Jim Ratcliffe told the press: “I don’t particularly like going to see Nice, the level isn’t high enough.” A remark that shocked even within the locker room.
The text accompanying the petition recalls this episode to denounce what it considers abandonment. “Today, all of INEOS’s investment is in Manchester United. Nice has become the bolt holding the wheel of the cart. And we are the good cash cows buying jerseys, tickets… The transfer market is disastrous, directionless, visionless, haphazard. We qualify for the Europa League and we have to endure this?!”
A protest that could last
With already more than 1,400 signatures, the mobilization could grow. The authors of the text call for a radical change. Their conclusion leaves no room for doubt: “The solution is clear, find a buyer as soon as possible if you haven’t already and get out! The club will immediately be better off and rid itself of this burden that is becoming impossible to bear.”
For now, no response has been provided by the management or the British owner. But the pressure is mounting. Amidst disappointing sports results, distrust regarding strategic decisions and a rift with the stands, INEOS’s future in Nice appears more contested than ever.
