The two candidates for the Stade de France concession were interviewed on Thursday by the State, owner of the venue, while the only candidate for the takeover made a free appeal to the administration after being rejected, AFP learned from sources close to the negotiations.
There are therefore currently only two offers in the running, and only for one concession: the Vinci/Bouygues consortium, which currently holds the concession since 1995, as well as the events group GL Events associated with Paris Entertainment Company, the former limited company of SAE POPB operation, majority owned by the city of Paris.
They were heard by the State on Thursday on the basis of the offer that they each officially submitted on January 3. At the beginning of January, the owner of PSG, Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), who had said he was interested in the takeover, finally threw in the towel.
An award decision in 2024 or even 2025
The Stade de France buyout offer, our common good, notably with the Los Angeles-based company ASM Global and the French manufacturer NGE, pleading to strongly involve the football and rugby federations, was called for a hearing before being rejected by Bercy services for irregular supply. She has filed a voluntary appeal with the administration, a source close to the negotiations reported to AFP.
The procedure launched in March 2023 will continue to take a long time. A final offer must be submitted in September 2024 and the award decision will be made at the end of 2024, at the latest in 2025.
The winning candidate will have to carry out a major work program because the venue is only ready for the 2024 Olympics.