At Clermont Foot, the millions of euros in dividends received by shareholders at the end of 2023 raise questions

The year 2024 is coming to an end and with it the traditional end-of-year general meetings for companies, which will vote on budgets but also on executive remuneration, will take place everywhere in France. In the world of football, it is much more complicated to make money as a shareholder, but not impossible in some special cases. According to information shared by the newspaper L’Équipe this Thursday, December 19, the president and majority shareholder (up to 94%) of Clermont Foot 63 Ahmet Schaefer would have received nearly 6 million euros in dividends at the end of 2023.

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A colossal sum on the scale of the Auvergne club, partially justified by very significant profits made on the transfer market… but also by the contribution of CVC which was to be intended for improving the structures of the beneficiary clubs. Even if nothing illegal is to be highlighted in these operations, our colleagues from the national sports press question the relevance of such operations, while Clermont is one of the very rare French clubs to be placed in the column of those which had been generating profits for several seasons.

This would undoubtedly have been less badly perceived if, after relegation to 18th place in Ligue 1 last season (Clermont never really had much margin to maintain itself despite a total of 59 points in 22-23 and an 8th place), the CF63 had reinvested more massively in sports to avoid such a lackluster 2024-2025 season and to appear at the top of the table. But with only 17 points and two lengths ahead of the jump-off Caen (16th), Clermont runs the risk of going down again, of Ligue 2 in National this time, where Mr. Schaefer would have a hard time making the club profitable… The meeting of Clermont shareholders at Gabriel-Montpied in 2024 will take place this Friday 20/12, and the decisions of the Swiss entrepreneur will be up to scrutinize carefully.

Source : lequipe.fr

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