The current leaseholder of the Stade de France, the Vinci-Bouygues consortium, plans to challenge the renewal process for the lease, after the government decided to enter exclusive negotiations with its competitor, GL Events.

A political decision?

After several months of information exchanges and hearings, including with the services of Bercy, the state, owner of the Stade de France, chose the Lyon-based event group GL Events, rejecting the offer from Vinci-Bouygues, the current leaseholder. The final decision on awarding the contract is expected to be made by the end of January.

The consortium intends to file legal complaints, including due to unequal treatment of candidates, a source close to the matter told AFP, without providing a timeline or details on the appeal process. As the procedure concerns a public procurement, the competent authority will likely be the administrative court. The consortium is two-thirds owned by Vinci and one-third by Bouygues. The decision was made during a period of uncertainty related to the motion of no confidence against the government, said the source, noting that it was a political decision and highlighting the closeness of GL Events to Emmanuel Macron.

© CpaKmoi (cc: by-nc-nd)

Tough negotiations

The current lease was granted to the consortium for 30 years in 1995, hurriedly, between two rounds of the presidential elections. The tender for the lease renewal was announced in March 2023. Simultaneously, the sale procedure was initiated but was abandoned due to a lack of interested parties. In addition to the Fin Infra services of the Ministry of Economy, the case has been reviewed by the interministerial delegation for large sporting events and by Minister of Sport Gil Avérous.

Now, negotiations must also take place with the football and rugby federations, which have presented their requirements to both candidates but have not reached an agreement with either of them. The specifications require that the stadium be able to host the French national teams for football and rugby, which play approximately nine matches there each year, as well as major international sporting events. The new 30-year lease agreement is expected to be signed in April 2025, with the current lease expiring at the beginning of August 2025.

© Elise Robaglia / Potion Médiatique