Interview: Alain Béral, president of the LNB, and the arrival of foreign investors: “The mix of ideas is favorable for us”
After the Ukrainian Sergey Dyadechko in Monaco, the Betlic Elite has seen the arrival this season of American investors, in Paris (Eric Schwartz and David Kahn, who have been there since the creation of the club) and Pau (CounterPointe Sports Group), while, at the same time, the number of foreign executive directors, coaches and sports directors increased over the seasons. What does the president of the league, Alain Béral, think of this unimaginable upheaval not long ago? ?
What is your feeling about the fact that foreign investors, including two Americans, are now present in Betclic Elite through AS Monaco, Paris Basketball and Elan Béarnais Pau. Are there no other examples in the European basket of clubs which thus benefits American investors?
To be honest, every month on issues of interest that are produced by strangers. Obviously, those in Paris and Pau did not know each other, so it is not a relational effect. From what I hear, they all think that the French basket, given the results he has at the level of the national team and the training of the players, a bright future ahead of him. They are Americans, so for them football is not that. We explain to them that in France, is the most important, but they do not like, they do not buy that it is something that they can raise higher, whereas they believe that the basket can and will climb much higher. As they are Americans, they are very basket. They see a lot of French people there and they discovered that France is in the middle of Europe, that there are 67 million inhabitants, and that it is at the crossroads to go to the Pays de the east, in Spain, which is very closed, in Germany. They are also very wise about the health of the clubs. As soon as we communicated on this, they remained a little dumbfounded, saying “it’s not possible: clubs don’t make money!” Ah! It’s possible. Since they are Americans, they are talking about money. They believe that it is a unique model, and that in terms of investment, it is rather reassuring.
Do they understand that in Europe, we do not earn money in professional sport, and a fortiori, in Euroleague, until proven otherwise …
We lose a lot! They are talking about it, but they have been around. Those who arrived in Pau went to Turkey, to Greece, and they immediately said no. “We know we’re going to have to write a check. “David Kahn has been there for several years, and we can measure today that what we said was wrong about the fact,” I am coming, I am going. He is there, he gets involved, he works well, he is in his club, he advances and he stays. So, they don’t come just for a whim. I obviously hope that in Pau it will be the same chosen. We had a lot of discussions with them on video. I have the impression that they are really interested and that they have the time. They tell us that they are coming for the duration.
They have a real estate project while in Paris, it is …
Athletic. And so, they don’t come for two or three years. The case of Monaco is the same. Ukrainian President Sergey Dyadechko has proven that he is here for a long time, he has even signed a firm commitment with the Principality, and he is crazy about basketball. This is what is important to me. You have to be careful not to bring termites, which eat everything without noticing it, and the day they leave, everything falls. This is what happened in some football clubs, including in France. We realized that people came to do an experiment and earn a little money from the resale. What I have in front of me is not that.
“I have always said that if the NBA comes, we must not be in front but to the side”
Is it flattering for the league to have three foreign investors of this caliber?
Opening photo: Juhann Begarin (Paris Basket)