Isidore Partouche Threatens To Quit Ligue 1 Club Lille If His Company's Naming-Rights Offer Is Not Accepted

Casino group Partouche Founder Isidore Partouche "is threatening to quit" Ligue 1 club Lille if he does not obtain the naming rights to the new Grand Stade stadium, according to LA VOIX DU NORD. The French casino group has made an offer of €2.5M ($3.3M) per year for the naming rights to the stadium, but the club "is hoping" for anywhere between €3.3M ($4.3M) and €3.8M ($4.9M). Partouche said, "They will not find a taker at that price" (LA VOIX DU NORD, 10/17). 20MINUTES.fr reported that the offer has not received a response, which "has irritated the entrepreneur." Partouche said, "If the club does not give me a good reason explaining why we are not being chosen, the Partouche group will quit its sponsorship of the club very soon: the shirt, the ads, everything." The departure of Partouche, shirt sponsor and 40% owner of the company Socle, which is the majority shareholder of the club (87%), "would be a big problem for the club" (20MINUTES.fr, 10/18).