A Lille spokesperson said that the club prefers having a blank shirt for a while.GETTY IMAGES
Eleven weeks into the Ligue 1 season, Lille, Nice and Stade de Reims are “still without a principal jersey sponsor,” according to Alexandre Bailleul of SPORTBUZZ BUSINESS. Infront France Managing Dir Jean-François Jeanne said, “French football is riding a positive global trend driven by the French national team and premium clubs signing deals of more and more importance. However, clubs at the middle and bottom of the table have more trouble and depend in large part on a less important regional ecosystem.” In waiting for a successor for Mutuelles du Soleil, Nice’s jersey sponsor for seven years, the club decided to “highlight its endowment fund instead of leaving the shirt blank.” Nice Brand & Communication Dir Virginie Rossetti said, “We are in advanced talks with several major advertisers. These may happen or not, but the club does not wish to just give away the visibility that is offered on our jersey.” Stade de Reims spokesperson Fabrice Harvey said, “We don’t want to break the market and sell our shirt, that’s why no one at the club is panicking. We’ve had several offers, some interesting touches, but nothing has materialized.” Lille spokesperson Yann Chevallier said that he would “prefer having a blank jersey for a while.” He added, “We are moving forward on several issues but we want to find the best sponsor for our shirt" (SPORTBUZZ BUSINESS, 10/30).
