The probable takeover of Elan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez by the Americans from CounterPointeSports Group (CSG) is excellent news for French basketball and the club.
For the National Basketball League because it demonstrates its attractiveness, in line with the investments of Tony Parker at ASVEL and David Kahn and Eric Schwartz at Parisbasketball. His financial wisdom – the devastating effect of the Covid-19 pandemic is an exceptional phenomenon – is thus rewarded.
For the Béarn club, this is obvious. After the golden age, his sports results have become unremarkable, once fervent, the public has cooled down in particular because of the competition in town of rugby and football – his average spectator during the 2019-20 season was fallen to 4e place of the Jeep Elite behind those of Strasbourg, Villeurbanne and Le Mans – and especially the town hall had been forced to put 800,000 euros in the pot in 2020 to avoid a deadly exit from the road.
The project of CSG is ambitious and the buyers want to have men of their own within the club, both sporting and administratively. Logic. In the Republic of the Pyrenees, the current president Didier Rey declared to be ready to step aside: “There will be a future that will be done with or without me, but this is anecdotal, not important, unlike the future of Elan. Five years ago, I became president because no one wanted to stick to it. I gave it my all with honesty and energy. Tomorrow, a new majority shareholder will arrive and he will decide what he wants to do, and that’s normal. “
Roll on the clasico!
We still allow ourselves to advise CSG not to arrive on land conquered in the land of garbure and duck breast, to show tact, skill, to spare the susceptibilities. Pau is not Paris, Béarn is not Ile-de-France. We have to innovate while adapting to local customs. Changing habits is not easy. Americans should know that President Pierre Seillant, son of the club’s founder, had been threatened with death when he announced that the club would move from Orthez to Pau, the “big city.” “
We also wonder about the sporting ambitions of the buyers. To become a stronghold of French basketball again, that’s understood. Win a 10e title of champion of France, it’s official. The last dates back to 2004, an eternity. To be competitive in the Basketball Champions League or the Eurocup is very likely. But beyond that, the area now appears prohibited. The agglomeration of Pau and its 200,000 inhabitants is narrow on a European scale, the proud Palais des Sports is no longer up to the standards of the 21st century, and CSG certainly does not have the financial capacity of Norilsk Nickel and Gazprom who support at arm’s length, respectively, CSKA Moscow and Zenit Saint-Petersburg. Not even sure that American investors have that of Massimo Zanetti, the king of coffee, who is the patron of Virtus Bologna, knowing that this prestigious club which will have an XXL arena is on the waiting list to enter Euroleague. Only Paris, via ParisBasketball or even the Metropolitans of Boulogne-Levallois can ultimately aim to join the holy of holies.
This brings us back to our original idea. The arrival of American investors is excellent news for the Jeep Elite, its competitiveness, its exposure. Everyone should be happy about it. Including the Ultras de Limoges. The clasico, which was beginning to go round in circles, will quickly gain strength!
Photo: Elan Béarnais
Read also … (and these are NOT ads)
—
–
