{"id":1103574,"date":"2019-08-28T09:51:11","date_gmt":"2019-08-28T08:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1103574"},"modified":"2022-09-21T00:07:49","modified_gmt":"2022-09-20T23:07:49","slug":"britains-third-richest-man-buys-ligue-1-club-nice","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/britains-third-richest-man-buys-ligue-1-club-nice\/","title":{"rendered":"Ineos: Britain’s third richest man buys Ligue 1 club Nice with aim of Champions League qualification"},"content":{"rendered":"

Petrochemicals firm\u00a0Ineos, founded by British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has purchased\u00a0Ligue 1 club OGC Nice and immediately\u00a0declared plans to qualify for the Champions League.<\/b><\/p>\n

The French outfit was bought from a\u00a0consortium\u00a0headed by\u00a0Chinese-American investor\u00a0Chien Lee, which had owned the club since 2016.<\/p>\n

Ineos buy Nice: Five things to know…<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  • Ineos reportedly<\/a> attempted to purchase Nice\u00a0back in Fabruary.<\/li>\n
  • However,\u00a0president Ganaye Gauthier wasn’t satisfied with the\u00a0\u00a377m offer.<\/li>\n
  • Ratcliffe’s company returned with a new package and have successfully completed a deal for the Ligue 1 outfit.<\/li>\n
  • Britain’s third richest man was linked with a takeover at Chelsea prior to acquiring Nice.<\/li>\n
  • This is\u00a0the second football club\u00a0Ineos has taken over, after\u00a0Lausanne in 2017.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    https:\/\/audioboom.com\/posts\/7349082-liverpool-s-new-signing-the-unsung-norwich-city-heroes-propping-up-the-pukki-party<\/p>\n

    Ratcliffe, who is Britain’s third richest man<\/a>, reportedly submitted a \u20ac100m (\u00a388.77m) bid for the club earlier this year, but the official fee is thus far undisclosed.<\/p>\n

    The French Riviera club is managed by Arsenal ‘Invincible’ Patrick Vieira and he will now be a part of the ‘Ineos Football’ group.<\/p>\n

    “We have looked at a lot of clubs in the manner we look at businesses in Ineos \u2014 for value and potential \u2014 and OGC Nice fulfils that criteria,\u201d Ratcliffe\u00a0said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    “With some sensible, measured investment, we want to establish OGC Nice as a team that competes in European club competition on a regular basis. And, importantly, sustain it.<\/p>\n

    Asked specifically about future aims, he added: “Our target will to be in the Champions League in between three to five seasons. We\u2019re not saying this season, we\u2019re not saying tomorrow.<\/p>\n

    “And we would like to see four French clubs qualifying for the Champions League. If Italy has that, England has that, Germany, Spain, why not France, with its heritage and its World Cups?”<\/p>\n