“I’m here, for at least 10, 15, 20 years, I don’t know yet. It is a project to be implemented gradually. » During his first official speech, this Wednesday in the center of Orly, Antoine Arnault, general manager of Christian Dior SE, the family holding company which notably controls LVMH (Editor’s note: also owner of Le Parisien) regularly mentioned the terms of “time long”, yet often antithetical to football. But this is the whole meaning of the philosophy of his project and his family, for Paris FC.
The “closing” will be definitively completed after the extraordinary general meeting of the club on November 29 which will ratify the new board of directors of the club. Pierre Ferracci revealed that Michel Denisot, the former president of PSG, will make his debut. The capital will be distributed as such: 52% for Agache (Arnault family), 30% for Pierre Ferracci’s holding company, 11% for Red Bull and 7% for BRI, an Anglo-Srilankan shareholder who did not wish to sell his shares. By 2027, the Arnault family will have around 80% and Red Bull, 15%.
“We are not here to change everything and turn the tables”
Antoine Arnault first presented the genesis of the investment in Paris FC by talking about a “family project”. “With my sister and brothers, we were looking for a project that was different from our traditional activities, but also exciting and which would bring us together. Some of us have a passion for football, that’s my case. 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. »
His brother Frédéric also accompanied him in the negotiations. For a month and a half, Antoine Arnault has been able to soak up the atmosphere of the club, meeting employees, staff, players and attending matches at Charléty. “We are not here to change everything and turn the tables,” he warns. We are banking on the current staff and team. The team didn’t need us to be 1st. Paris FC is having difficulty crossing its Mont-Blanc from L1, we will get there more easily together. We want to build, improve, grow but gradually, without skipping steps. »
“Training will be at the heart of our strategy. »
Antoine Arnault detailed “the three pillars” on which his family intends to rely. First of all, the “essential values in our group and in our family: ethics, rigor, commitment, humility, the fact that the club comes before everything”. “I will be uncompromising on this” he said before mentioning “the long term”
“In our luxury businesses, we give the teams time to structure themselves, to create the magic that can exist. We will listen to the supporters, try to build real enthusiasm. Without putting too much pressure on yourself. We are here for an extremely long time. »
Between these two pillars, he presented the main one: “the training which will be at the heart of our strategy, which will bring down the fantasies heard since the announcement since our arrival. » For this, even before the first discussions started on April 22 with the PFC, the Arnault family had already joined forces with Red Bull, met on the Formula 1 circuits through Frédéric Arnault. “We have no skills in terms of football team management,” recognizes Antoine Arnault. They will help us in many aspects, recruiting the best players by finding them better than the others. »
But Red Bull will only remain a “sporting partner”. “The club will always belong to our family. There will be no timeshare and Red Bull Paris FC”, specifies Antoine Arnault who, with the eye of Red Bull, has the objective of building “the best training center in France and in the Paris Basin”. Ultimately, he sees the prospect of having “5, 6, 7 or 8 players from training in the first team. »
Between the sports management of Paris FC and Red Bull, discussions have already started since June. “They already knew all the Paris FC players inside out. They have absolutely revolutionary data tools that will help us with the scouting part. I have already met and spoken with Jürgen Klopp (new football boss at Red Bull). He is very excited about the project and the prospect of coming to work with the teams here. »
“You will never hear me say anything negative about PSG”
As for the objectives, Antoine Arnault, who spoke of “a significant investment but without throwing money out the window”, remained on his course of action. “We want to create a club on a human scale. It is an ambitious project but without being unrealistic. Paris FC is a big Ligue 2 club and we will try to make it a very good Ligue 1 club. There is room for another club in Paris. »
Obviously, there was talk of a future rivalry with PSG. Antoine Arnault has repeated his love for this club since he was 12 years old. In his football memories, he also highlighted the “Kombouaré header against Real” (1993) and the “victory in the Coupe des Coupes in Brussels” (1996). “I was a PSG subscriber for many years, I am now invited by my friend Nasser. You will never hear me say anything negative about PSG. It’s a club that I admire and which will remain in my heart. The day we are in Ligue 1, I will always support PSG, except twice a year. »
On urgent issues – stadium, extension of the Orly center – discussions should intensify in the coming weeks. “The team and the supporters are attached to Charléty. I like it too. Redeveloped, it could be suitable for our project. The other option is Jean-Bouin, with its constraints, the use of other teams, the synthetic, the calendars… We will start to discuss the opportunity of these two options without excluding one. We can play Jean-Bouin while Charléty is redeveloped. »
