The Irish investment fund Strangford Capital becomes the new majority shareholder of AS Béziers Hérault, a Pro D2 club.
Under the municipal flag for four years, AS Béziers, today in Pro D2 after having dominated French rugby for a long time, was bought by an Irish investment fund, as part of a sporting project led in particular by the ex-All Black Andrew Mehrtens, announced the city's mayor on Thursday.
“The club is saved”rejoiced Robert Ménard, during a press conference, alongside the two new co-presidents of the club, two legends of world rugby: the former New Zealand opener Andrew Mehrtens (70 caps) and the former -third row and captain of the South African Springboks, Bobby Skinstad (42 caps), 2007 world champion.
The new majority shareholder of AS Béziers Hérault is now an Irish investment fund, Strangford Capital, co-founded by businessman and former Formula 1 boss Eddie Jordan, associated with other investors passionate about sport. This fund bought back, for an undisclosed amount, 75% of the shares owned by the city through a cooperative society of collective interest (SCIC) set up during the rescue of the club in 2021. The SCIC, however, retains 2 to 3% of the capital, so that the city can maintain a right of oversight over the management of the club, to which it allocates around 1.5 million euros in subsidies each year, specified Mr. Ménard.
Four years ago, the elected official was the linchpin of a controversial operation to buy the club by the city, after the failure of a takeover project led by former French international Christophe Dominici, associated with Emirati funds. “We promised not to reduce the budget” of the current season and “we will seek to increase it in the next three years”Andrew Mehrtens explained for his part.
No immediate upheaval in the workforce or management
Mehrtens and Skinstad, however, warned that we should not expect immediate upheavals in the workforce and management of the club, currently 7th in the Pro D2 ranking before hosting Dax on Friday for the 10th day. “In three or four years, we can do a lot. Climbing into the Top 14 is one thing, but you also have to think about the efforts necessary to stay there”added the former All Black, recalling that the club will already have to return to the top of the Pro D2“tough competition”. But “we are not here to create a foreign club, it must remain a French club”insisted Andrew Mehrtens, in French, before changing his mind : “We will remain a Béziers club”.
Titled 11 times champion of France between 1961 and 1984, AS Béziers has not played in the elite of French rugby since the 2004-2005 season.
