Oughourlian slams Ligue, rejects Premier League multi‑club overture

RC Lens owner Joseph Oughourlian told L’Equipe that the club must aim for more than being the Premier League’s B league, accusing the Ligue 1 governing body of mismanagement and turning down a major Premier League multi‑club proposal. He also warned that such a deal would betray Lens’s DNA.

He stressed that Lens’s identity must not be sacrificed for short‑term gain and cautioned that chasing quick profits would erode the club’s heritage.

In the interview Oughourlian reviewed Les Sang et Or’s exceptional Ligue 1 season, noting that the Artois side gave Paris Saint‑Germain a genuine title race and secured their maiden Coupe de France trophy. The cup win marked the club’s first ever French cup triumph and underlines its growing stature in French football.

Looking ahead, Lens will return to the Champions League next season under German head coach Dino Toppmöller. The appointment follows the departure of sporting director Pierre Sage, who has moved to Crystal Palace, signalling a new strategic direction and the club’s ambition to consolidate its European presence.

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Oughourlian revealed that a “major” Premier League club had approached Lens with a proposal to join a multi‑club ownership model, similar to BlueCo’s Chelsea‑Strasbourg partnership. He compared the offer to that model and rejected it, arguing it would dilute Lens’s independence.

“We’re France, World Cup semi‑finalists, the country that produces the most players in the world; we should aim for something other than being the Premier League’s B league,” Oughourlian declared, framing the argument as a matter of national pride.

He also criticised the Ligue de Football Professionnel and its president, former Marseille executive Vincent Labrune, stating bluntly: “The league is extremely poorly managed.” Labrune heads the Ligue de Football Professionnel after a career at Marseille.

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Oughourlian explained his resignation from the LFP board, citing the controversial postponement of Lens’s home match against league leaders Paris Saint‑Germain. “I can’t be on a board that rubber‑stamps decisions that make absolutely no sense,” he said.

Adding to his condemnation, he warned, “I have nothing to do with a league that’s shooting itself in the foot for who knows what. If you don’t respect yourselves, if you spend your time criticizing your own channel and do nothing for your product, you shouldn’t expect others to value it.” He concluded that without self‑respect the league cannot attract external value.