With his arms raised on stage, Jean-Pierre Rivière had a happier Sunday than the 4-0 defeat PSG inflicted the day before at the Allianz Riviera. The president of OGC Nice will be officially appointed “Special advisor to the mayor and president of the Metropolis” following Eric Ciotti’s victory in the race for mayor of Nice, but that’s not a reason to abandon the sports field. At least not right away promises the 68-year-old entrepreneur who seems to succeed in everything he undertakes. A good sign for his club’s survival mission.
President, does this election victory mean you will leave the club after this season?
I came back for a mission: survival. It’s in progress, and we are also preparing for the future for next year knowing that it will be financially challenging with very low TV rights, around 7 million euros I believe. We have to adapt, return to a less expensive club operation, that’s our mission with Maurice (Cohen, the vice president). The recent election changes nothing about the topic. I am able to manage both activities in parallel, as I imagined, there is no change to the original plan.
“Ineos will perhaps still be there for a few more years, perhaps there will be a sale, I have no visibility on it.”
Can this dual role be beneficial in discussions with potential buyers?
There is currently a bank (Lazard) taking care of that, I am a bit detached from it. Ineos may still be there for a few more years, perhaps there will be a sale, I have no visibility on that. What is certain is that Ineos compensates the club’s losses every year, and they are significant.
Can you assure us today that OGC Nice will not be deprived of its stadium for the 2030 Winter Olympics?
We do not yet have all the information we want. I think it will be done starting next week. I believe that from a technical standpoint, the final approval of the stadium’s coverage has not been decided. I think we will have more information in the next 15 days. But in any case, regarding the use of Allianz Riviera, the overall cost between the City, the Metropolis, and the Department will be much higher than what is announced. We will have the numbers and everything we need to work correctly, but I consider the use of Allianz Riviera as a subject on which we will do everything to ensure OGC Nice is not affected.
By building the Olympic village on P1 bis too?
We still need time to come to a conclusion, we still lack information today. I repeat, we have had zero information since the launch of this Olympic project, except what we read in the press. It needs to be examined in detail. There is urgency, we want the Olympics, there is no issue on that. But we want it to be done in the best way possible. We need about two weeks to have a clearer position on it.
