• This Friday, the “Nantes collective”, a company intended to participate in a takeover of FC Nantes, was presented by Philippe Plantive, director of Proginov, and Mickaël Landreau, former Canary.

  • Either the “Nantes collective” collects enough money to discuss alone with Waldemar Kita, or it finds a new investor to join forces with.

  • President Kita declined to comment and said he "is not a salesman at this time."

They have been working on this project "for six months".

This Friday, at the headquarters of his company, at La Chevrolière, Philippe Plantive, director of Proginov, presented the “Nantes collective”, a plan to buy out FCN.

For more than an hour and a half, accompanied by former player Mickaël Landreau and Thibault François, president of Fastea Capital, first presented his project and then answered the various questions.

Back on this press conference at which about thirty journalists were present.

What is this Nantes collective?

The “Nantes collective” is a company intended to participate in a takeover of FC Nantes. Philippe Plantive, boss of Proginov, and Mickaël Landreau, former player, are at the initiative of its creation. Fabrice Bocquet, former general manager of Lorient, whose name has never been released, accompanies them. "The supporters are almost at the genesis of this project", recognizes Plantive. Mocked and abused by some Nantes fans for several months, some FCN sponsors decided a few months ago to think about an "alternative" to Waldemar Kita, current owner of the club.

The leader of Proginov, leader of the project, informed the Nantes president in February of his approach.

For legal reasons, the entrance ticket to the collective has been set at 100,000 euros minimum, and the sums will be placed in escrow with Crédit Mutuel, the club's partner bank.

Just over 2.5 million have so far been collected.

A 5-year business plan has been drawn up.

“Objective: 20 million euros!

», Admits Plantive.

Who is part of it at the moment?

Philippe Plantive listed the companies entering the local investment fund: Millet Menuisier (sponsor of the FCN), Artipole (sponsor of the FCN), Proginov (sponsor of the FCN), Prolaser (La Boissière-des-Landes in Vendée), LNA Santé (sponsor of the FCN), Beillevaire (master cheese maker), Fastea Capital, with the support of Piveteau Bois and Crédit Mutuel.

Other companies could join this local momentum, in particular those from Vendée.

“I am a subscriber to this fundraiser,” specifies Mickaël Landreau.

With other former players such as Nicolas Ouedec, Nicolas Savinaud, Nicolas Gillet, Frédéric Da Rocha and Christophe Pignol.

"

What is his goal?

The primary objective is summarized by Philippe Plantive: “Our objective is to support a succession project for Waldemar Kita. One cannot imagine being at the head of a club and being in opposition with its supporters and with the elected representatives of the territory. "The leader of Proginov continues:" Either we have collected enough money to discuss alone with Waldemar Kita, or we make sure that Waldemar Kita finds a new buyer, but the latter must know that if he arrives in Nantes, there is a sacred union which awaits him made up of supporters, amateur clubs of companies and communities. "

The “Nantes collective” wants to “get out of traditional football patterns and go back to what we used to do”.

Landreau, who has already worked a lot on the organizational chart and the future sports organization of the club, insists on the spirit of this project: “Currently, it is not the FCN that I knew.

What makes me unhappy is that the club can't be all about money or a man.

[…] Today, our responsibility is to make a coherent project in connection with training, collective values, games. Our sports project will be around that.

"

Is their project realistic?

Some will say that it is a pure utopia, others will be charmed. In the meantime, Philippe Plantive, who has not spoken to Waldemar Kita since February, made several calls to him during the press conference. "Waldemar, if you can hear us, we want to tell you that this project is serious, why continue to invest at a loss in the FCN?" "Or" we want to tell Waldemar Kita that this project is good for him, French football is at an impasse, and he has enormous pressure. He has my phone, he can call me. "

With a little more than 2.5 million euros collected by the “Nantes collective”, those responsible for the project are inevitably far from the mark. Even if the leader of Proginov dreams of a only local solution ("there is a beautiful utopia for us, it is that the territory is self-sufficient") - which seems extremely unrealistic -, it is difficult to see how this unique regrouping local could manage to buy out the FCN. Only the arrival of a mastodon investor, associated with the “Nantes collective”, could make it possible to raise sufficient funds. But to hear Plantive, this heavyweight will have to adapt to the local momentum. “We don't want another above-ground project to come to the club. We will not sell our soul to the devil on the pretext that an investor has an agent. We will not go into a rotten equation. "

On this subject, Landreau, being more aware of the economic realities of current football, was more cautious and pragmatic: “An investor must also be respected.

He invests for a project with healthy finances and wants a return on his investment.

All this is debatable.

It will be necessary to co-construct with him, that is to say to write a common story so that we avoid the case of Bordeaux [King Street, the owner, has withdrawn from the club].

"

Is Waldemar Kita a seller?

The Nantes president does not necessarily have an interest in wanting to sell a club of which he has been president for fourteen years.

His entourage sent us a press release this Friday afternoon, the outlines of which were predictable: “Waldemar Kita has no comment.

He is and remains the owner of the FCN.

He still has a lot of plans and ambition for this club to which he is very attached.

We notice that there is no serious take-back offer at this time anyway, and anyway, he is not a seller at this time.

But maybe tomorrow then?

Without a doubt.

Behind the scenes, weary, more and more isolated and pushed by some of his relatives to let go, WK, who does not carry Mickaël Landreau in his heart, is attentive if a serious offer lands on his desk ...

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