Foley acquire major slice of FC Lorient

Article posted by Coliseum, January 23^rd, 2023

Image: FC Lorient

American businessman Bill Foley and the Black Knight Football Club (a consortium led by Foley), has bought a significant stake in the French Ligue 1 club FC Lorient (France), one month after having taken over the Premier League club A.F.C. Bournemouth (UK) in a deal thought to be worth around £120 million.

‘m.allfootballapp.com’ stated that the Texas (US)-born businessman is understood to have bought a 33 percent slice of the Ligue 1 outfit, with a view to invest further at the end of the current season with a view to a full takeover being completed in the future.

Football Club Lorient Bretagne Sud is a French association football club based in Lorient, Brittany (France). The club was founded in 1926 and currently competes in Ligue 1, the top flight of French football, following promotion from Ligue 2 in the 2019-2020 seasons. The 18,110-capacity Stade du Moustoir in Lorient, France, serves as their home pitch.

‘m.allfootballapp.com’ further stated that the American was in France recently to close up the deal, and ‘The Cherries’ (A.F.C. Bournemouth) had been interested in a move for Lorient forward Dango Ouattara to bolster their attack.

The purchase will help Foley to progress his Manchester City (Premier League team)-style multiclub ownership strategy, having taken control of Bournemouth in December 2022 and the American eyeing a swoop for a team in South America and even Belgium.

Following the successful acquisition, a statement was released in which Foley announced the “strategic partnership” between the two sides and praised the French club.

The statement sent out by Foley read, “We are excited to announce a strategic partnership and investment in FC Lorient. Loïc Féry (Lorient owner and President) has successfully built a best-in-class football club and will be a great partner as we build BKFE into a leading multiclub football operator. I look forward to partnering with Loïc and his team to accelerate the success of FC Lorient and BKFE.”

The Black Knight Football Club consortium, which features American actor Michael B. Jordan, first took over Bournemouth on December 11^th after Maxim Demin’s (Russian-British businessman) 11-year association with the club was ended.

Foley himself is thought to be worth around $1bn, and already owns the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise Vegas Golden Knights, and is the Chairman of Fidelity National Insurance – one of the biggest insurance firms in the United States.

Lorient have had an impressive time in France, currently sits in the sixth spot in the top-flight and with a real chance of European qualification at the end of 2022-2023.

The Brittany-based outfit is also known for their excellent academy, which has produced the likes of Marseille and France midfielder Mattéo Guendouzi and former Premier League club Southampton F.C. (UK) and the Serie A club Juventus F.C. (Italy) star Mario Lemina (Gabonese professional footballer).

Continue to follow Coliseum for latest updates on venues business news. Coliseum is dedicated towards building the best global community of sports and entertainment venue executives and professionals creating better and more profitable venues.

Become a member of the only Global Sports Venue Alliance and connect with stadiums, arenas and experts from around the world. Apply for membership at www.coliseum-online.com/alliance and make use of the 365Coliseum Business.

Watch 500+ member-exclusive videos with valuable tips for your venue