Eiffage plans to sell the companies responsible for operating the Pierre-Mauroy stadium to LOSC. The operation is accompanied by an agreement putting an end to the 24 million euros dispute between the club and the MEL.
Eiffage enters into exclusive negotiations with LOSC to transfer the operation of the Pierre-Mauroy stadium to itin Villeneuve-d’Ascq (North), in the first half of 2027. Concretely, Eiffage plans to sell to football club “100% of the capital of the companies which maintain, maintain and operate the stadium and its ancillary spaces“, for an amount which has not been communicated. Said operation must allow the Lille club to regain control of the stadium’s commercial revenueswhile putting an end to a long-standing dispute with the MEL (Métropole Européenne de Lille).
The group specifies that the project remains subject “obtaining the required contractual and legal authorizations“. Employees and staff representative bodies of the entities concerned will also be informed or consulted under the conditions provided for by law.
The construction and concessions group Eiffage announced, Wednesday October 28, that it had entered into “exclusive negotiations” with LOSC with a view to selling it the companies which manage the Villeneuve-d’Ascq sports venue. However, this operation concerns the operation of the stadium and not its transfer of ownership. The enclosure, inaugurated in 2012 and with a capacity of around 50,000 seats, belongs to the European Metropolis of Lille. © Fred Dugit / LP
LOSC wants to regain control of stadium revenues
For the Lille clubthis recovery represents an important economic challenge because until now, thecommercial and technical operation of the enclosure was ensured by Elisa, a subsidiary of Eiffage. By becoming an operator itself, LOSC will be able to directly benefit from the revenue generated by the events hosted in the stadium.
Beyond football matches, Pierre-Mauroy can host competitions in other sporting disciplines as well as large-scale concerts and events. This versatility constitutes a lever of valorization for an equipment whose activity goes well beyond the sporting calendar of the resident club. The stated aim is therefore to better control the operation of the enclosure and to take greater advantage of its reception capacities. THE stadium, also known as Decathlon Arenarepresents a strategic asset for LOSCwhich will be able to develop its event activity within the applicable contractual framework.
At the beginning of October, the European Metropolis of Lille had already confirmed the principle of this development. According to information sent to AFP, the northern club had to “acquire the shares of Elisa held by Eiffage and its subsidiaries, via Lille Arena SAS, to ensure the commercial and technical operation of the Décathlon Arena“. The MEL had given its agreement to the operation, without modification of the public-private partnership (PPP) governing the stadium. Its president, Eric Skyronka, then specified: “the MEL gives its agreement to this operation, without the terms of the PPP (public-private partnership) being modified“.
A 24 million euro dispute settled with the MEL
The change of operator is accompanied by an agreement intended to settle the financial dispute between LOSC and the European Metropolis of Lille for several years. The club notably contested the conditions of use of the stadium and had accumulated unpaid rent. The resumption of operations should make it possible to close this file, with the payment of all sums owed to the community. “We are coming out of this dispute on top, in the interest of the MEL and the future of the Decathlon Arena. LOSC will pay all of its unpaid rent, i.e. 24 million euros, to the MEL“, declared Eric Skyronka. The president of the metropolis also underlined the scope of this agreement, calling it an agreement “balanced, which allows us to turn the page on the dispute while securing the future of the stadium“.
THE takeover of Elisa by LOSC will not, however, modify the conditions of rental of the enclosure by the club from the MEL. The community thus retains ownership of the stadium and the contractual framework of the public-private partnership remains unchanged.
If it is completed as planned in the first half of 2027, the operation will modify the organization of the stadium’s operation without calling into question public ownership of the equipment or the terms of the PPP. She especially opens new prospects for commercial development to LOSC around an enclosure designed to accommodate, beyond football, a diversified event program.
