FC Sochaux Owners Assure That The Club Is Financially Secure, Will Compete

The Chinese owners of Ligue 2 side FC Sochaux-Montbéliard "have given assurances that the French club is financially secure and will compete" next season, according to Samindra Kunti of INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL. In '15, FC Sochaux was sold by carmaker Peugeot to Chinese tech company Tech Pro. Peugeot founded the club in '28 for its workers and the team spent a record 66 seasons in the French top league. Tech Pro paid a reported $7.9M for Sochaux. This season, "doubts have risen about the financial stability at Sochaux." Since the Chinese takeover, the club has "burnt through half" of the €15.3M left by Peugeot. Questions have been posed "if Sochaux can sustain themselves" during the '17-18 season in Ligue 2. Owner Tech Pro "recently lost 86% of its value on the Hong Kong stock exchange." Tech Pro Chair Li Wing Sang is also facing a legal challenge from one of his creditors "threatening him with personal bankruptcy" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 12/12).