2023-05-02 08:18:15
This Tuesday, May 2 (6:30 p.m. at the Michel-Hidalgo stadium in Saint-Gratien), Versailles (5th) is playing a capital derby against Red Star (4th). To still have a small chance of fighting to the end for the rise in Ligue 2, the two teams are obliged to win.
But behind the scenes, the two shareholders, who have, since their arrival in March 2021, offered large financial means to Versailles, are working to ensure the continuity of their ambitious project. Many mention financial difficulties. Christophe Petit, co-shareholder with Julien Ridon, answers the many questions surrounding Versailles.
Many of your opponents mention your financial difficulties and even a bankruptcy filing. Is Versailles in danger?
CHRISTOPHER SMALL. No, Versailles is not in danger! I’m very surprised to hear all that… We have a budget that hasn’t changed at all between its presentation at the start of the season and its provisional landing. On the other hand, we have invested as a shareholder in this season, in order to gain time to structure ourselves, get to know this championship, work on our infrastructure deficits (stadium and training center), and be able to register. over the long term at this sporting level. Accession to National was not planned so quickly. We are planning a cycle of three to four years to move up to Ligue 2. We have therefore sought security and experience in the recruitment of players to avoid immediate relegation in a very difficult championship, with six relegations, and many much more experienced clubs than us.
We also know that your City real estate group has also experienced difficulties in recent months…
Like all residential real estate developers, the year 2023 is complicated and the sales figures for new homes are poor. We have therefore revised our sales volume targets downwards, but we still believe that we will maintain a correct result for the financial year, thanks to products such as managed residences, hotels, or overseas, which are holding up better in the context current.
One of your subsidiaries, City GC-Hervé, based in Versailles, has just been put into liquidation. Do you understand that this can be questioning?
We took over the Hervé company at the helm of the commercial court, just before the Covid. The accumulation of Covid, the rise in the price of materials and the difficult construction market unfortunately did not allow this company to recover, which was once again put into liquidation. Our efforts were therefore useless and we decided to definitively leave this activity, which has never been profitable in the group. Some of our sites have been impacted, the time to sign new contracts with companies in separate trades and to restart the sites.
Are you looking for a co-shareholder? And if so, how high?
Our project aims to bring together both economic actors and the general public in a unifying way. As far as capital is concerned, we think it is useful to add up everyone’s skills, and to work as a team. We have no hegemonic will, neither in the role of omnipresent president, nor reason to want to remain majority or minority in the long term in the capital. We want the club to be solid, to have a real identity, an audience, a strong link with its association, its educators and all the young people who enjoy playing in this club.
Didier Quillot is in charge of this file. Are you currently in negotiations with foreign investors?
We had different requests. It is indeed possible that we will gradually open up the capital in preparation for the next season, if that makes sense in the organization of the club and its roadmap.
If you don’t go up to Ligue 2, will you stay and, if so, at the same budget height?
We have had time this year to work on the areas in which we are the most behind our competitors, in particular our training center and the stadium. We will therefore have the chance to train in a new place with the best facilities. We will also probably change stadiums pending the regularization of Montbauron for a place that will allow us to have a better return on commercial income and the general public. For next year, we therefore think we can work better in sport and seek performance, increase our income and maintain a coherent and competitive budget.
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