Football Fever in China Part B: The Fate of FC Sochaux-Montbéliard

Abstract

This two part case series discusses the historic acquisition of the French football club FC Sochaux-Montbéliard by LEDUS Club Limited, a subsidiary of Tech Pro, the first time that a Chinese company wholly owned a European football club. The second case in the series discusses FC Sochaux-Montbéliard’s poor footballing performance, which triggered the resignation of Ilia Kaenzig of the football club. FC Sochaux-Montbéliard then embarked on a new direction with new partnerships Baskonia-Alavés Group, a leader in sports management.

This case was prepared for inclusion in Sage Business Cases primarily as a basis for classroom discussion or self-study, and is not meant to illustrate either effective or ineffective management styles. Nothing herein shall be deemed to be an endorsement of any kind. This case is for scholarly, educational, or personal use only within your university, and cannot be forwarded outside the university or used for other commercial purposes.

2024 Sage Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Resources

Exhibit 1: FC Sochaux-Montbéliard Jersey Carrying the New Sponsor’s Name: NEDEY Replaced LEDUS

An image shows two FCSM jerseys, which are labeled as LEDUS and NEDEY Automobiles.

Source: jeunesfooteux.com, 2017 1 (left) and planetefcsm.com, n.d. 2 (right).

Notes

1. Frédéric Le Lay, “Lotto Presents the New FC Sochaux – Montbéliard Jerseys for the 2017–2018 Season [in French],” jeunesfooteux.com, June 21, 2017, [https://www.jeunesfooteux.com/Lotto-presente-les-nouveaux-maillots-du-FC-Sochaux-Montbeliard-pour-la-saison-2017-2018_a28236.html], accessed July, 2019.

2. Planete FCSM, “Our Products [in French],” https://www.planetefcsm.com/, accessed July 2019.

This case was prepared for inclusion in Sage Business Cases primarily as a basis for classroom discussion or self-study, and is not meant to illustrate either effective or ineffective management styles. Nothing herein shall be deemed to be an endorsement of any kind. This case is for scholarly, educational, or personal use only within your university, and cannot be forwarded outside the university or used for other commercial purposes.

2024 Sage Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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