One of the world's richest families plans to create Paris's next big soccer success
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France's billionaire Arnault family, owners of luxury group LVMH and one of the richest dynasties on the planet, is preparing to secure majority ownership of minor soccer club Paris FC — but sees any sporting turnaround as a long-term aim.
Antoine Arnault, son of LVMH CEO and Chairman Bernard Arnault, told CNBC the investment in the second-tier club was about "emotions" rather than finances; as it looks to replicate the sporting success Red Bull has achieved in its own acquisitions of German soccer club Leipzig and Austria's Salzburg.
The Arnaults will partner with Red Bull in the Paris FC endeavor, with the family's holding company Agache taking an initial 52% share, according to the Associated Press, while the energy drinks juggernaut acquires 11%.
Arnault said that compared to other clubs his family had identified more "interest and value creation than the others, not only on the sports side, but also on the branding side, which was the Paris FC."
"There is an anomaly in French football and in Parisian football, that it is probably the only big city in Europe with only one big football club. And Paris FC already has infrastructure, already has a great team, already has a beautiful history, but just needs, financially, a little bit of a stronger shareholder to push it to go to the next level," Arnault told CNBC's Charlotte Reed.
Compared with Qatari-owned titans Paris Saint-Germain, which has dominated French domestic soccer for decades and attracted world-class stars and competed in international tournaments, Paris FC is a little-known club which last played in the top league in the 1970s.
Asked by CNBC whether he saw Paris FC as a potential challenger, Arnault said: "That