Sir Jim Ratcliffe quietly puts Swiss club up for sale as Man Utd owner scales back empire

· Mirror

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has come under intense scrutiny for INEOS' decision-making at Manchester United and he is busy trying to sell another of his football clubs, Lausanne-Sport

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has quietly put Lausanne-Sport on the market as he continues INEOS' full-scale retreat from sports investment.

The Swiss Super League side were Ratcliffe's first step into the sporting world when he took over in November 2017. But the petrochemicals billionaire is now seeking a buyer as part of a wider pattern to scale back his empire beyond Manchester United.

INEOS also owns French club OGC Nice and has a one-third stake in the Mercedes F1 team. The company controversially cut ties with Sir Ben Ainslie's sailing team in January 2025 as part of a money-saving effort and Lausanne is the latest piece of the portfolio that Ratcliffe wants rid of.

The Athletic reports that a prospectus has been circulated to potential buyers to advertise Lausanne. Consultancy firm Alvarez & Marsal have been handed the task of shifting the club, who sit bottom of the Swiss Super League after a run of five straight league defeats.

In the five-page document, Lausanne are described as having “a unique infrastructure set-up” and “an asset-light model”. Despite sitting bottom of the league and having been relegated twice under INEOS' ownership, they are billed as “an established top-flight contender” with seven Swiss league titles and nine Swiss cup wins in their history.

Lausanne are poised to make a loss of around £5million this year and do not own their stadium or training ground. INEOS bought the club after establishing their global headquarters in the Swiss city between 2010 and 2016.

It remains to be seen how attractive the proposition is to potential investors. INEOS have been unsuccessfully trying to sell Nice for the past few years. They have been forced to reduce their €250m (£209.5m) asking price for the French club they bought in 2019, with the side struggling in recent years.

INEOS' cost-cutting measures have made regular headlines since Ratcliffe took over at Manchester United in December 2023. His ruthless efforts to save money have seen hundreds of staff lose their jobs at United, with other benefits and luxuries cut.

Ratcliffe previously had commercial interests across football, sailing, F1, rugby and cycling, but INEOS has been contracting that area of their business in recent years. Sponsorship deals with New Zealand rugby and Tottenham were controversially stopped, while there was a fierce argument with Ainslie over the removal of funding ahead of the America's Cup.

The commitment remains at United, where INEOS inherited sporting control from the Glazer family, but criticism has ramped up recently, with fans protesting against their owners. United sit 16th in the Premier League following a miserable start to the campaign, with Michael Carrick expected to be sacked months after INEOS handed him the role permanently.

Ratcliffe's approach to business - and decision to cut his losses across INEOS' sports portfolio - is reflected in the insight Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff gave back in October 2023.

> “This is a no bull organisation,” he said of INEOS. “They are huge in terms of revenue and profit. Decisions are being made quickly – three bullet points on a page and ‘here we go’. With Jim all the bull is cut out."

Read the original

People in this story

Related