Rinat Akhmetov’s 2009 attempt to buy OGC Nice that never happened | OneFootball

Before his recent purchase of the world's most expensive apartment in Monaco, the Ukrainian Rinat Akhmetov, then Ukraine's richest man, had explored buying OGC Nice in 2009, according to Nice-Matin.

In October 2009, with president Maurice Cohen gone and the club in flux, Nice drew a raft of would-be buyers. Among them, Akhmetov's name stood out.

Described at the time as pro-Russian, he had fallen for the Côte d’Azur during a spell in Monaco after the 2004 Orange Revolution. He was seeking a base on the coast and seemed keen to invest in football, one of his passions.

A Nice-based lawyer was instructed to shape a formal offer. Akhmetov already owned Shakhtar Donetsk, a club that had lifted the UEFA Cup.

The portrayal was of a football obsessive who discovered the Gym during that first Monaco exile, and was charmed by the club's history and potential. The 2009 report said more would be known within a week.

No further movement followed. Contacted in 2022, Maurice Cohen and Jean-Pierre Rivère said they had no recollection of the episode, and the club was eventually sold to Rivère.

Source: Nice-Matin