FC Sochaux-Montbéliard (FCSM) seized Thursday the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) in order to obtain its maintenance in Ligue 2, we learned from a source familiar with the matter, after the announcement of a takeover agreement for the football club threatened with bankruptcy.
The historic Franche-Comté club, which is to be taken over by an heir to the Peugeot family, had until Friday to file this request, after being relegated to National at the beginning of the month.
According to a source close to the negotiations, “we hope” that a conciliation hearing will take place next week. The club will have to prove on this occasion that it has 12 million euros, an amount required by the DNCG, the financial policeman of French football.
In order to raise these funds, Romain Peugeot, great-grandson of the founder of the Sochaux club, reached an agreement on Wednesday with the current owner, the Chinese group Nenking.
According to the former president of the club Jean-Claude Plessy (1999-2008), Romain Peugeot and other investors will pay 8 million euros for the takeover of FCSM, Nenking remaining for the time being in the capital up to 4 million.
With this new distribution, Mr. Peugeot, a 33-year-old financier based in London, would hold 67% of the capital and Nenking 33%.
Sochaux is one of the founders of the first professional French Championship, in 1932-1933. The Cubs were French champions twice (1935, 1938) and won the Coupe de France twice (1937, 2007), as well as the Coupe de la Ligue in 2004.