New professional sport law lets DNCG approve or block FC Nantes takeover | OneFootball

France’s new professional sport law, adopted on three August, hands the DNCG, French football’s financial watchdog, power to approve or block club takeovers, a change now central to FC Nantes’ proposed sale.

According to L'Équipe, the bid by Phenix Sport Invest, led by Paulo Tavares with several partners, has surprised many in French football. Reported sums above 100 million euros have drawn scrutiny, and any deal with Waldemar Kita would face DNCG review.

Since the reform, the DNCG (Direction nationale du contrôle de gestion), chaired by Jean-Marc Mickeler, who is also a global vice-president at Deloitte, examines the buyer’s profile far more broadly.

It now checks compliance with multi-ownership rules, stakes in other clubs and the candidate’s financial results over the past five years. Where the bidder controls or has controlled other clubs, those clubs’ five-year figures are reviewed too.

Previously, strong doubts could only trigger observations or recommendations, not an explicit legal veto. Now, cases can be approved, approved with conditions or reserves, or suspended for up to three months while further checks are made, and they can be rejected.

If parties proceed despite a suspension or rejection, the club risks severe sanctions, including a bar on promotion, relegation or exclusion from competitions.

Source: L'Équipe

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”