Canadian investment group Kilmer Sports Ventures have acquired former French footballing giants Saint-Etienne on Monday a day after the club returned to Ligue 1.The new president of the legendary club in central France will be South African Ivan Gazidis, considered the architect of the takeover, who was CEO of Premier League club"I know what Saint-Etienne means, it means something to me.
Saint-Etienne drew 2-2 after extra time in Metz on Sunday to win their playoff 4-3 on aggregate and return to Ligue 1, two years after relegation."I'm very happy for everybody that cares about the club, very happy for the staff that worked very hard for this, very happy for the town and I'm very happy for Bernard and Roland," said Gazidis."Of course, it's no credit to us. We come in at a nice moment," he said.
"This won't be a revolution, it will be an evolution. We're very focused on taking things one step at a time.Ten-time French champions Saint-Etienne -- runners-up in the 1976 European Cup to Bayern Munich -- lifted their last Ligue 1 trophy in 1981.AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.