On November 20, Ivan Postel, the chairman of Rouen, a team in the French National League (third tier), made some shocking statements. He aims to bring the club into the UEFA Champions League within a few years and plans to build a stadium with a capacity of 40,000 to 50,000 people.
He stated, “Our goal is to promote to Ligue 2 within one or two years, then spend another one or two years to advance to Ligue 1. After that, we have three years to strive for entry into the Champions League. When I present my project to American investors in a few weeks, they will fully embrace it, leaving no room for local investors.”
“I won’t even show this project to the locals because they would think I’m crazy! The scale of funding for this project will reach tens of millions, possibly even billions of euros. They will say, ‘Are you crazy? Rouen is so small…’”
“I can’t imagine a region with 600,000 inhabitants being unable to support a 125-year-old club and fill a stadium with a capacity of 40,000 or 50,000 people. This stadium will have flexible adjustment capabilities. I don’t want to reveal all my plans, but it will have a national, and even global impact, not just a regional one.”
