INEOS puts Lausanne-Sport up for sale as sporting retreat widens

INEOS has appointed consultancy Alvarez & Marsal to seek a buyer for Lausanne-Sport, according to reporting, adding the Swiss club to its planned football disposals alongside OGC Nice.According to The Athletic, the proposed sale would end an ownership period that began in November 2017, with prospective investors being approached through a five-page sales document titled ‘Project Striker’.The prospectus describes Lausanne as “an established top-flight contender” and highlights “a unique infrastructure set-up” and “an asset-light model”.Those infrastructure arrangements include renting the stadium and training ground from the local council, rather than owning the facilities.The document also presents potential access to European competition as an attraction, pointing to a 12-team domestic league historically dominated by Basel and Young Boys.Lausanne have qualified for European football once under INEOS, however, and their current position at the bottom of the Swiss Super League creates uncertainty for buyers assessing the club’s future revenues.Annual losses are reportedly expected to approach £5m this season, with the potential funding requirement increasing if INEOS sponsorship income is not replaced.That makes the treatment of ongoing commercial support relevant alongside any acquisition price, which has not been established in the supplied reporting.The move follows its decision to seek a buyer for Nice, where the company has reportedly reduced an initial €250m asking price after difficulties securing a transaction.It also comes after exits from sponsorship arrangements involving Tottenham Hotspur and New Zealand’s All Blacks, alongside the breakdown of its America’s Cup partnership with Sir Ben Ainslie.Together, those decisions indicate a narrowing of sporting commitments after an expansion that took INEOS into football, cycling, Formula 1, rugby union and sailing.The Lausanne investment predated its acquisition of Nice and its minority investment in Manchester United, making the Swiss club an early component of that portfolio.Sir Jim Ratcliffe agreed to acquire 27.7% of United for £1.25bn in December 2023, with subsequent investment increasing his holding to almost 29%.Despite remaining a minority shareholder, INEOS obtained operational responsibilities under its agreement with the majority-owning Glazer family and has overseen restructuring, workforce reductions and investment in training facilities.There is no indication in the supplied reporting that the Lausanne sale extends to that United holding.The wider group is facing pressure from European energy costs and US tariffs, with total debt reportedly reaching approximately £18bn.A Lausanne disposal would have a limited effect on liabilities of that scale, but could remove an annual funding commitment and reduce the number of sporting businesses requiring management attention.For potential buyers, the immediate assessment combines the prospectus’s European qualification opportunity with the club’s losses, dependence on owner-linked sponsorship and exposure to relegation.Alvarez & Marsal’s task is now to convert those approaches into a transaction, with no buyer or completed agreement identified.