Xavier Niel acquires a stake in the US Créteil-Lusitanos football club (N2)

"I grew up here and I'm proud of it. I haven't forgotten where I come from. Helping the Béliers (the team's nickname, editor's note) to go as high as possible is my way of giving back to this city a little of what it gave me. Kaaris shone a light on Sevran; I want to shine a light on Créteil," said Xavier Niel, quoted in the press release.

The club did not specify how much Mr. Niel, owner of the Nice-Matin group, will invest. According to Le Parisien, through his holding company NJJ, the founder of Free, will be "the reference shareholder of US Créteil." "The club's president, Tony Al-Homsi, will retain a minority stake and will oversee the transition," the newspaper specifies.

Responding to a message on X dated November 17, 2024, offering to buy the club, Xavier Niel wrote "agree" on the social network on Wednesday, accompanied by a photo of himself in front of the US Créteil headquarters.

According to the press release, the businessman arrives with "a project based on three priorities: investing in the future, with the creation and development of a training center; professionalizing the club, by strengthening its resources and joining forces with more partners; promoting Créteil, by attracting a wider audience to the stadium and modernizing the club's image."

In November, the family of billionaire Bernard Arnault, along with Red Bull, bought another Ile-de-France club, Paris FC, currently second in Ligue 2 and well placed to join the elite.