The takeover of Nice football club by English billionaire and Monaco resident Jim Ratcliffe was given a boost last week when the French Competition Authority approved his purchase. Sixty-six year-old Ratcliffe, the chairman of Ineos, bought the Sky cycling team earlier in 2019 and renamed it Team Ineos.
Patrick Vieira, the Nice manager, welcomed the development: “The takeover has maybe taken longer than expected. It has been difficult to make signings,” he said recently.
Ratcliffe’s fortune, based in part on the controversial process of fracking in oil and gas exploration, may help Nice to achieve greater success in France’s Ligue 1. Sir Jim is a supporter of Britain leaving the EU.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe
