Ligue 1: "We're not in trouble. I am very calm" (Jean-Pierre Rivère, president of OGC Nice)

"We can afford to take our time over this decision because the club is financially healthy. We're not in trouble. I am very calm," said Jean-Pierre Rivère, president and majority owner of OGC Nice (Ligue 1) on 12/02/2016, on the same day of the announcement that the planned takeover of his club had been cancelled.

OGC Nice had announced, on 29/01/2016, that Edward Blackmore and a Saudi prince (whom the local newspaper Nice Matin claimed, on 12/02/2016, to be Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Bin Abdullah Al Faisal) had become 49% shareholders of OGC Nice by purchasing the shares belonging to the four historic minority shareholders of the club (Gilbert Stellardo, Patrick Governatori, Jean Bessis and Louis Bacchialoni). Both new investors were to become the majority shareholders of OGC Nice by the end of June 2016 by acquiring 31% of the 51% held by Jean-Pierre Rivère, which would have increased the holding of Blackmore and the Saudi prince to 80%.

"New investors were to confirm no later than 12/02/2016 the final amount (and schedule) of their future investments. To date, the items have not…