The fortunes of FC Sochaux-Montbéliard might finally be changing. After years of mismanagement, most recently under the Nenking group, a local investment group has taken over the club. The group is called FCSM 2028 — a reference to the club’s upcoming 100th anniversary.
FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, founded by Peugeot director Jean-Pierre Peugeot, was one of the first professional clubs in France. The historic club has won several major trophies, namely winning Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France twice, but has struggled in recent years. The turning point was in 2015 when Peugeot finally sold the club to Hong Kong factory Ledus. The club, having recently been relegated, was unable to earn promotion and established itself as a mid-table Ligue 2 side over the next few years.
In 2020, the club was sold again, this time to a Chinese real estate group: the Nenking Group. Over the next three years, anyone with potential — including Alan Virginius, Bryan Lasme, and Maxence Lacroix — was sold off. Transfer fees became a rarity, and the club gradually weakened both on and off the pitch. Sochaux slipped into a financial crisis, and in June 2023, financial difficulties meant they were relegated to the Championnat National — the third tier of France.
Now, the Nenking Group has sold the club, and its unpopular ownership has ended. The new group, FCSM 2028, must have their 2023/24 budget validated and confirmed on Thursday, August 17 to keep the club’s professional status. It would be a big step towards restoring the club to its previous glory.
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Image Courtesy of Deudisc, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
