His heart has always been beating for the Stade Rennais, the club he first supported before becoming its owner in 1988. But the businessman François Pinault, 3rd French fortune, also wants to help the Girondins de Bordeaux , currently at the heart of a huge slump with the announcement of the withdrawal of its main shareholder King Street and its placement under the judicial protection of the Bordeaux Commercial Court.
In an open letter published in the newspaper Sud-Ouest, François Pinault, in particular owner of Château Latour, premier grand cru classé of Pauillac, in Gironde, called on the world of wine to launch a movement to buy back the Girondins de Bordeaux.
If he cannot be a stakeholder in such a project since it is forbidden to have shares in two French clubs at the same time, François Pinault nevertheless announces his intention to support possible buyers from the world of wine.
Here is the open letter the Breton billionaire wrote:
“Open letter to my colleagues, owners of Bordeaux Grands Crus
Like all French football lovers, I am moved at the idea of seeing the Girondins de Bordeaux in danger of disappearing.
Breton and owner of Stade Rennais, I have been measuring for decades how much the identity of a club and if possible its successes are part of the social contract in a region.
Associated for thirty years in Bordeaux life, through Château Latour, I think that the existence of the mythical club that is the Girondins is important for Bordeaux, its influence, its balance with which all wine owners can only identify.
What is the economic force which, in this region, can give itself the objective of safeguarding the Girondins and of developing them?
The world of wine and in particular the owners of great vintages.
The legitimate rules on club ownership prohibit me from setting up a plan to take over the Girondins, since my group is the sole shareholder of Stade Rennais.
On the other hand, I am ready to lend my support to any operation set up by the players in the wine industry and I will do so with enthusiasm.
I therefore call on my fellow owners to meet in order to prepare a project to take over the Girondins.
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