In a week where the coming to town of star Lionel Messi should have monopolized the attention of soccer fans and sports fans in general in Quebec, it is instead the owner of CF Montreal, Joey Saputo, who is making headlines and this Undesirable visibility risks making many supporters of the team worried.
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Unlike Inter Miami CF, who will visit the Bleu-Blanc-Noir on Saturday evening, this one is far from swimming in absolute happiness. If the Florida organization is synonymous with excellent financial health, particularly thanks to the famous Argentinian attracting all eyes to him, the Montreal club relies on tight management with regard to its workforce on the field. And in the offices, successive sports directors have worked with more visible constraints than in markets like New York, Los Angeles and Toronto.
Even if the word “moving” has not been uttered recently about CF Montreal, its big boss could stop losing money and receive a substantial sum by deciding to sell. If the situation worsens on the playing surface and the balance sheets in the red multiply, the possibility of selling the club will become more and more attractive, especially since Saputo spends a lot of time in Italy supervising a another of its properties, FC Bologna.
Also, it is appropriate to recall the interest of North American cities in the MLS. Thirtieth team in the league, San Diego FC will make its debut in 2025 and according to the NBC network, it would have paid entry fees of US$500 million. If an expansion of the framework of the Garber circuit does not represent an acceptable avenue in their eyes, those interested could go about it differently to achieve their goals. In 2024, Forbes magazine estimated the value of CF Montreal at US$430 million, which is good for 27th place in MLS. This figure is lower than the price that will be asked for new concessions.
Among the contenders, there are the following:
-Indianapolis: The City expressed its intention at the end of April to submit an application for expansion training. Mayor Joe Hogsett said he met with Commissioner Don Garber. The responsible authorities want to develop at a cost of $1 billion an area – Eleven Park – which would include a soccer stadium.
-Las Vegas: the City of Vice has not hidden its interest in the MLS which remains very much alive. Moreover, it can count on significant support among the owners of the circuit, that of David Beckham, of Inter Miami CF. “It’s a real opportunity. We saw a hockey team [les Golden Knights] land there and the Raiders are there. In the future, who knows if MLS will arrive with a club?” he declared last fall to the Bloomberg agency, well before the confirmation of the transfer of the Athletics from Oakland to Las Vegas.
-Phoenix: in early April, the media Arizona Sports reported that a group of investors led by Nick Sakiewicz, a former member of the Coyotes management, has its sights set on land located in Mesa. He hopes for a change in local laws in order to build a stadium.
-Tampa Bay: the Rays (major baseball) want to begin construction of a new stadium towards the end of the campaign and the infrastructure could allow the holding of professional soccer matches. Playing in USL, the Rowdies have already expressed their wish to access MLS several years ago.
-Detroit: the Auto City also counts on a club playing in the USL and Commissioner Garber named it in 2020 among the markets with a logical chance of welcoming a dealership.
Rather gray days
The departure – not publicly confirmed by the CF to date – of Olivier Renard adds gray clouds to an increasingly dark sky above the team. Already, the soccer journalist from The Athletic site, Tom Bogert, had mentioned a few days earlier the desire of Quebecer Mathieu Choinière to be exchanged due to a salary dispute. Do these recent developments risk fueling new speculation regarding the long-term future of the franchise operating in Major League Soccer (MLS) since the 2012 season?
The most pessimistic will probably answer in the affirmative, recalling the fiery nature of Saputo and its declarations in recent years regarding a possible transfer. Also, other observers may mention that CF is on its 10th head coach (Laurent Courtois) since his arrival in MLS, which is far from representing an example of stability.
Let’s also remember that Montreal has bet on the lowest payroll in all of MLS in 2023, i.e. $10.5 million. That’s a far cry from Toronto FC, in the lead at $25.7 million. Then, there are the CF’s annual subscriptions: certainly, he managed to sell his 15,000 2024 season tickets, but he can thank Messi whose presence in Montreal this weekend is highly anticipated, to such an extent that fans did not hesitate to buy packages for the sole purpose of attending Saturday’s match. Previously, the CF had never managed to sell all of its subscriptions.
Before the pandemic, notably in October 2018, Saputo had deplored the lack of support from the business community for its team, while explicitly speaking about transfer.
“I’m disappointed that we’re not at the level we should be. The involvement of the business community is necessary for the financial health of the team. It’s good to talk about the NBA, or the return of baseball, but we need to give more attention to the teams already in place. Because bringing back a team that has moved costs a lot more,” he said at a press conference.
In 2022, CF lost US$12 million, according to “Forbes”. Losses were US$8 million a year later, but the club’s value increased by 15%.
