The information has continued to grow since the announcement on October 9, followed by the formalization in due form on October 17. The takeover of Paris FC by Red Bull and the Arnault family was soon confirmed: “Agache, advised by Red Bull, intends to contribute to the influence of the club's unique values and offer it the necessary means to continue its economic, civic and sporting development. A double ambition drives it: to permanently place the men's and women's teams in the elite of French football and in the hearts of Parisians. Through its journey and its history, Paris FC embodies another facet of football in the capital. With the arrival of Agache as majority shareholder of the club, the Club will change dimension and aim for new successes“. The press release also specified that the investments made in the development of the women's section in recent years would be continued. Red Bull should recover around 15% of the shares and the Arnault family will become a majority shareholder of 55% first then 85% by 2027.
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Since then, Paris FC's daily life has returned to normal with a few occasional interventions from its president Pierre Ferracci, notably on the future Parisian rivalry with Paris Saint-Germain or even rumors around the future Paris FC venue and the Parc des Princes. swelled: “Our capital will be national and French, this is not the case for Red Star, and PSG is held by Qatar. I see a derby eventually in L1. All major European cities have two or three clubs in the elite. The eco power is in the big cities. I see a sign for French football. They say that Paris is the best basin in the world, we must exploit these riches. I dream of one day having a team whose backbone is from the Ile-de-France region. Red Bull will help in this sense. Red Bull arrives with the Arnault family, who discovers football and brings strong skills to his side. Red Bull has considerable data. The Arnault family does not dream of competing with PSG and immediately winning the Champions League».
A club that assumes its Parisian identity
Paris FC had announced a major press conference this Wednesday at the PFC headquarters in Orly, in the presence of Pierre Ferracci obviously but especially Antoine Arnault, son of Bernard and future president of the Parisian club. He jumped at the opportunity to present the main lines of the future Paris FC which will always be popular and educational in the fully Parisian identity: “The first pillar is values. Paris FC already has it, that’s obvious. It is essential in our group and in our family: ethics, rigor, commitment, humility, the fact that the club comes first. A club which corresponds more to an English club than what we have in France today. We want to build our own history, our own legend, while keeping the DNA of the club which is popular and which will remain so, I would like to insist on that. We don't arrive by saying that we're going to revolutionize everything, that we're going to turn the table over and change everything. On the contrary, we will improve things that already exist. We will make sure to create a club with great values, a great playing philosophy.», explained Antoine Arnault. Renowned as a solid training club in the 2000s, Paris FC wants to rely on this ingredient in its history to write its new page. During the press conference, Pierre Ferracci also recalled that Ibrahima Konaté, who came to visit the PFC training center last week, was a child of the club.
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While the Red Bull galaxy will be part of this buyout up to 15%, Antoine Arnault also returned to the importance of the sporting philosophy of the Red Bull group. With several clubs all over the world, the Austrian brand has placed emphasis on the development of young talents, which is in line with the Arnault Family's desire to unearth the most talented talents from Île-de-France, the leading breeding ground. professional in the world:We don't arrive alone, we arrive with a partner. We have no skills in terms of football team management. We got to know Red Bull through Formula 1. Red Bull has very strong football skills. It was a very virtuous and positive discussion from the start. The idea of working together on a football project in France interested them. This club will belong to my family, this club will not be co-owned by the Arnault family and Red Bull. Red Bull will be in the minority, they do not want to access multi-ownership. They are a sporting partner, they will help us in many aspects, to recruit the best players and to find them better than the others. But they are not here to be co-owners with us“, he explained. As for Pierre Ferracci, he also explained the role that the brand would have in the energy drink: “Red Bull is both a strong brand. At the same time, there is a small issue of multi-ownership which teases me a little. But Red Bull does multi-ownership in an intelligent and rigorous way, which is not the case for everyone. Above all, for me it is a very strong skill in football. We saw it in Leipzig, taken quite low in the hierarchy of German football and which is regularly in the top 5».
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The vast ambitions of Antoine Arnault at Paris FC
At the club since 2012, Pierre Ferracci did not want to botch the negotiations for the takeover of Paris FC. The idea was to choose the best successor for the development of the athlete, without putting smoke and mirrors in the eyes of the supporters. A philosophy that Antoine Arnault completely shares: “The second pillar, which will bring down the fantasies, is to build this project around training. The talent pool in Paris is the first in the world. With the help of Red Bull, it will be at the heart of our strategy to build the best training center in France and the Paris area. Too many talents cross Paris and go elsewhere without setting down their bags in Paris. Our proposal will be different, we want to build a club where we will have five, six, seven or eight players from the training center in the team. We will not hesitate, even if we have a nugget, to let it go and stand on its own two feet. This is an essential part of Red Bull's strategy. Diversity is also important, the women's teams are already performing well and we will continue to invest. Give back to Paris and our country what was given to us. It is a project which will have an economic nature. The idea is not to throw money away. The idea is to arouse emotions, to create an even more concrete sharing than what you already see“. Growing without going too fast, this will be the philosophy of Paris FC in the coming months. Before dreaming big, we will have to move up to Ligue 1 and that is the objective this season.
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Then, despite its status as a large group weighing nearly 423.6 billion euros, Antoine Arnault wants to maintain a value of proximity without rhinestones and glitter: “It's a family project, a project that we initiated with my brothers and my sister. We found it was a good idea to invest in a project different from our traditional activities. We discussed it at length, we studied a certain number of options. Some of us have a passion for football, that's my case. It's the popular sport that I love above all. I have a little nostalgia for these moments, perhaps a nostalgia for the beginnings of an old boomer lying around. The only thing that unites all generations is sport. The third pillar of our strategy is long-term. We give the teams time to structure themselves, to create the magic that can exist. Between the coach, the team, the supporters. We will listen to the supporters, try to build real enthusiasm. There is room for another club in Paris. Without putting too much pressure on yourself. If we don't move up to Ligue 1 this season, it will be the next one or the one after that. We are here for an extremely long time“. This promises happy hours at Paris FC.
Pub. the 20/11/2024 16:00
– UPDATE 20/11/2024 16:16