OGC Nice: what future for Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe at helm of Les Aiglons?
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, OGC Nice owner
On 30 June this year, Ineos consolidated its status as the majority shareholder by investing a substantial sum in OGC Nice. But is the future of the British company at the helm of the Riviera club all mapped out?
With the start of the 2025-2026 Ligue 1 season about to (literally) kick off, what is the actual situation at OGC Nice? Fourth in the league last season, Les Aiglons were recently defeated by Benfica Lisbon in the preliminary round of the Champions League play-offs. But there is also some movement behind the scenes.
On 11 July, the Nice team announced the departure of its long-serving chairman, Jean-Pierre Rivière, who had held that position for 14 years. He will be replaced on 20 August by the current Managing Director, Fabrice Bocquet. Is this change, which is ‘of note’ to say the least, the beginning of a wider upheaval?
A substantial contribution in anticipation of a sale?
As reported by Sportune, the club’s majority shareholder – Ineos, owned by Jim Ratcliffe – decided to increase OGC Nice’s share capital to €16.49 million.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe: I genuinely believe in the things that we’re doing
The additional contribution of 3.23 million euros is in truth only the face value of the shares. Including the issue premium paid by the British company, the total investment is in reality close to 60 million euros, further consolidating its position. But that hasn’t stopped some observers from wondering about a potential future sale. Again according to Sportune, “the capital increase could be seen as a means of simplifying the shareholder structure and enhancing the club’s value.”
Rumours of a possible sale were already rife at the end of last season. On 2 May, The Athletic revealed that Ineos – which also owns shares in English giants Manchester United, the Mercedes F1 team and Swiss club Lausanne – was looking into the possibility of selling the Côte d’Azur club.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe ruled that theory out on 11 July, stating that “[Ineos’] commitment to OGC Nice” remained “absolute.”