“The problem is Red Bull”, a group of Paris FC ultras fears a loss of values ​​after the takeover

After the announcement of a future takeover of Paris FC by the Arnault family and the Red Bull firm, the spokesperson for a PFC ultra group welcomed the arrival of a French buyer but expressed concern with the idea of ​​becoming a satellite club of the Red Bull galaxy.

Leader of Ligue 2 after eight days, Paris FC has had a superb start to the season. Ambitious for the end of the 2024-2025 campaign, the Parisian club could thus be promoted to the elite at a time when the Arnault family, the largest fortune in France and third in the world, joined forces with the Red Bull company to buy the PFC. Questioned on Wednesday by RMC Sport, the spokesperson for the Ultras Lutetia group gave his first impressions on this change of ownership.

“Our feelings? Already we are happy that it is a French buyer”, greeted Maxence after the announcement of exclusive negotiations for the sale of the club. “Whatever we think of Monsieur Arnault, he remains in the top 3 of world fortunes and above all he is French.”

“We fear timeshares”

Led in particular by Antoine Arnault, one of Bernard Arnault’s sons and a football enthusiast, the Paris FC project is ambitious. In addition to becoming the majority shareholder of the club, the Arnault family will be supported by the Red Bull firm. Together, the two future co-shareholders intend to play at the top of the Ligue 1 table in the medium term.

But if the possibility of seeing Jürgen Klopp, newly appointed global director of football at Red Bull, get involved in the destiny of the PFC is attractive, the arrival of the energy drink giant arouses some fears among fans.

“The problem, in quotes, is Red Bull. Why? Because we fear multi-ownership. We know where this has led certain clubs and I am thinking in particular of Troyes which is part of the City Football Group and we see where they are are currently,” warned Ultras spokesperson Lutetia. “So that’s a bit of our little warning point. Afterwards, they only have 15% and we wholeheartedly hope that the identity of the club will be respected.”

“President Ferracci assured us of this in June, that the buyer would be a continuation of what Mr. Ferracci did. So we want values ​​that remain human, we want the club and the players to remain close to the supporters.”

The thorny stadium issue

Like PSG, entangled in a conflict with Paris town hall around the Parc des Princes, the future owners of Paris FC will have to resolve the stadium problem. At present, the Charléty stadium is very far from being filled during Ligue 2 matches or the women’s team posters. Among the avenues studied, a sharing of Jean-Bouin with the Stade Français or even a move to the Parc des Princes are far from unanimous.

“Mr Ferracci spoke to us about Jean-Bouin but the problem with Jean-Bouin is that it will be shared with the Stade Français and that it is on the other side of the street from the Parc des Princes”, explained Maxence of Ultras Lutetia again at the microphone of RMC Sport. “So there will be everything that is prefectural problems. The Parc des Princes belongs to the history of PSG and not to the history of the PFC. Even if the PFC, in its very beginnings, played there but it is a stadium which hosted PSG titles and PSG supporters grew up in this stadium. So it is not our stadium.

Exit the Parc des Princes and Jean-Bouin but also exit the current PFC enclosure, according to the head of the Parisian ultra group: “Charléty is not a football stadium, there are no boxes for the partners and even in terms of security it is not… We have already seen in the past that it is not optimal (a Coupe de France match between the PFC and OL was stopped after violence in stands in December 2021, Editor’s note). We will perhaps be spectators of this story in relation to the stadium. We will go where the club will go, anyway.

“We don’t want Red Bull Paris”

On paper, and despite the uncertainties around the stadium, the arrival of new owners at Paris FC seems well received by the supporters. But the situation is clear, we must not flout the history of the PFC and its values.

And Maxence, the spokesperson for Ultras Lutetia, concludes on the future takeover by the Arnault family and its partners: “As long as the club’s values ​​are not changed. We don’t want Red Bull Paris, we don’t want change of name or change of colors.”