OGC Nice: "Sport is not just about signing checks" (J. Ratcliffe, president of Ineos)

"Sport is not just about signing checks, as Manchester United FC (the Premier League) realizes, you can buy whoever you want and still get a disaster. Succeeding in football is much more complex than people believe, and here (at Nice) we have a really thoughtful challenge, and if we do it well, it may take a few years, but we can have the Champions League regularly in Nice," said Jim Ratcliffe, president of INEOS, in a interview to the French media L'Equipe and Nice-Matin on 18/10/2019.

The British businessman has one of the largest fortunes in the United Kingdom. Ineos, a Swiss-based company specializing in the chemicals sector, acquired 100% of OGC Nice (Ligue 1 Conforama) on 26/08/2019. Bob Ratcliffe, Jim's brother, is the president of Ineos Football, which also owns FC Lausanne-Sport (Challenge League, Swiss second division).

"Ineos has made $7bn in 2018 and can afford some investment in the sport, it's just a passion, but it can also have spin-offs. For example, we're building a model car that is a kind of alternative to the Land Rover Defender, a big investment for Ineos…