If the sale of the ASBH club is confirmed, during a press conference scheduled for this Thursday, November 7, the buyers, their projects and their motivations will be revealed.
The date of this Thursday, November 7 is written in red ink in the diaries of all ASBH enthusiasts. At 4 p.m., during a press conference which will take place at the Raoul-Barrière stadium, the names of the club's buyers will be officially revealed. Entry will be by invitation. But there is no doubt that many will come to the stadium to try to see the new owners. Supporters have lots of questions and are eager to find out more. The buyers paid the City the €1.70 million allowing them to become majority shareholders of the club, within the Cooperative Society of Collective Interest (SCIC) created by the municipality in 2021. Nothing more has really filtered out officially on their motivations and the why and how of their takeover of the club with eleven French championship titles.
Four names that keep coming back
However, the names of four personalities are regularly put forward when mentioning the takeover of Béziers. Firstly, that of Eddie Jordan, a 76-year-old Irishman. The former driver and boss of the Formula 1 team bearing his name would oversee this takeover. The wealthy businessman, who launched the career of Michael Schumacher in 1991, who later became a seven-time F1 world champion, would have formed a pool of investors, supported by the Irish company Strangford Capital. Among them are two renowned former Rugby players: former All Black Andrew Mehrtens (70 caps), who ended his career at Béziers during the 2010-2011 season and former South African international third row Robert ” Bobby Skinstad (42 caps).
Finally know the role and motivations of each person
A third person would have worked during this purchase of Béziers by these investors. This is former scrum half Jonnhy Howard. For weeks, the Englishman, who coached the Agde club, has been very present with the ASBH. He notably attends ASBH home meetings. He is a friend of Andrew Mehrtens. They played together during the 2010-2011 season.
The press conference this Thursday, November 7 will allow us to find out more about the role of each person. But also to know their objectives, their means and their capacity to carry the club.
Finances: will the ASBH be able to look higher?
To buy Béziers, the buyers of the club paid €1.70 million to the City. This allows them to become the majority shareholders and therefore the new owners of ASBH.
In terms of forecast budget, they followed the budget proposed and predefined by the former governance of the club, namely Jean-Michel Vidal and his financial right-hand man, Bruno Boivin. The current season is therefore assured from a budgetary point of view. Mid-championship, as is the case every year, the Rugby Regulatory Authority (formerly DNACG) will make a new assessment with all the clubs. And therefore Béziers which will have to plan financially for the months to come.
If the ASBH wants to go higher and ultimately reach the Top 14, it will have to present a more substantial nest egg than the current budget which is around €8.20 million.
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