Basketball: Tony Parker wants to "remain president of Asvel until 2030" with the Euroleague as his goal

Jean-Baptiste Sarrazin 18:26 pm, April 02, 2023

The president of Villeurbanne, Tony Parker, said Sunday that he had guaranteed his co-shareholders want to remain "majority and president of Asvel until 2030", with the hope of "winning the Euroleague" by then, and announced the arrival of an important partner. "Yes, I would like to win the Euroleague one day. I never hid it. I had a big meeting with my shareholders and I guaranteed them that I would remain majority and president of the club until 2030. So I hope we will do it before 2030," he told regional daily Le Progrès.

Chairman since 2014 of the reigning France champion club, Tony Parker announced on February 17 his intention to exchange his "Asvel" shares for Smart Good Things shares, a company of which he is deputy CEO and director and of which he would have become the second shareholder behind the Franco-Israeli businessman Serge Bueno. Parker's stated goal was to allow Asvel to increase its budget to €25 million for the boys (compared to €18 million this season) and €15 million for the women's team.

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New sponsor

However, OL Groupe, a 33.33% shareholder, and LDLC, also a shareholder, title partner of the Villeurbannaise team, had notably opposed this takeover by Serge Bueno. In the end, Smart Good Things will disappear and will be replaced by a powerful partner, who will not enter the capital, with the prospect of an increase in the budget of the club, Tony Parker also announcing "a fundraising with (his) shareholders of the moment thanks to an upward participation" of each of them.

"I can't say the name of the new sponsor but we signed for three years and it's the biggest contract we've ever had at Asvel since I've been president," he said. The four-time NBA champion, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, has suggested that American John Textor, owner of OL Groupe, would like to "extend his role as ambassador of Olympique Lyonnais, particularly in its development in the United States" and would like him to return to the board of directors. Tony Parker left at the time of the sale of the football club in December.

Penalized Thursday by the withdrawal of two victories and by a fine of 100,000 euros for not having transmitted documents on the contracts of two players, Asvel Villeurbanne, which receives Roanne Sunday (17:00), is 7th in the championship of France elite. He is also in 18th and last place in the Euroleague (8 wins to 24 losses).