Stade de France concession: the State is playing for extra time

"We didn't set out with the option of going back," a source close to the negotiations confided to AFP when asked about a timeline that appears to be dragging on. When exclusive negotiations began in mid-December, the plan was to decide "by the end of January" and sign the contract in April.

The "February" date was then mentioned by a government source. Since then, "there have been several inter-ministerial meetings," observes a source close to the negotiations, but still no decision.

Following a process launched in spring 2023, the current concessionaire, Vinci-Bouygues, which has operated the arena since 1995, was ousted in mid-December in favor of the events group GL Events. If the latter is indeed chosen by the State, it will win the operation for thirty years and will receive the keys on the evening of August 4.

The CEO of the Lyon-based group, Olivier Ginon, reputed to be close to the head of state according to several sources, remains cautious. Interviewed recently on BFMTV, he did not venture any comment: "It's a long process. I don't know who will win; there are legal issues involved," he commented soberly.

Indeed, the consortium that operates the Stade de France sued the State in an interim relief application before the Montreuil Administrative Court, claiming that it had been treated unequally. The interim relief was dismissed, and the consortium appealed to the Council of State.

But time is pressing, concert programming can't be organized at the last minute, and the French rugby and football federations also have matches to plan for the French national teams. As the head of the football federation, Philippe Diallo, pointed out, they must provide FIFA with the venues for the qualifying matches for the next World Cup "in March."

Discussions with the football federation

Feeling they have been poorly treated since the beginning of the concession contract, hastily signed with the two construction groups between the two rounds of the 1995 presidential election, the French football and rugby federations must reach an agreement with the new concessionaire. The FFR has already reached an agreement with GL Events. It has supported this offer from the beginning, several sources told AFP, even though it officially denies favoring anyone.

On the FFF side, its president Philippe Diallo is less forthcoming and had put pressure on in mid-January, declaring that he wanted to obtain "optimized conditions" for the use of the stadium. "They are still in dialogue," several sources close to the matter told AFP, which may partly explain the delay.

Another issue in the case: what is the role of the former mixed-economy company POPB (Palais Omnisports de Paris Becy), now known as "Paris Entertainment Company," which manages the Accor Arena in Bercy, the Arena La Chapelle, and the Bataclan? Majority-owned by the city of Paris, it appeared to be associated with the GL Events bid, according to several sources.

In its order, the Montreuil administrative court notes that "the summary note of the group's final offer expressly specifies that the POPB operating company will assist it in constructing an operating project", a "AMO (assistance to project management, editor's note) mission in business strategy".

A mission that challenges right-wing municipal councilor Pierre-Yves Bournazel (Horizons), who wrote to the Socialist Party mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo. "I would like to know if you intend to oppose the signing of this contract or if, conversely, you will allow the CEO of this company to sign it, which would mean that the City of Paris will ultimately be a stakeholder in the operation of the Stade de France," he asks in this letter dated February 24, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.

The concession signed in 1995 had generated a lot of ink and public money, particularly at the beginning with the payment by the State of compensation for the absence of a resident club. Hence also the need to legally regulate everything.