FC Lorient: consortium led by American Bill Foley (AFC Bournemouth) to acquire 40% of the club

The Black Knight Football and Entertainment consortium, led by American Bill Foley, has entered into a "strategic partnership" with FC Lorient (Ligue 1 Uber Eats) and will acquire a "significant minority ownership interest" in the coming weeks, announced the two parties on 13/01/2023.

"Bill Foley is taking a minority stake in the club's ownership and therefore becomes my partner. This is not a withdrawal on my part, but a strategy to strengthen the club's capital that I have wanted for several months. When the €10m capital increase is completed, the new shareholder will have 40% of the capital, at the latest this summer (2023). There is nothing more planned in terms of capital evolution in the next three or four years. In any case, nothing before 2026, which will be the year of the club's centenary and I am very keen to remain the majority shareholder and president at least until this important event," said Loïc Féry, who has owned FC Lorient since 2009.

The consortium, comprised of Cannae Holdings (chaired by Bill Foley), which owns 50.1% (acquired for $126m/€119.5m), and a group of…