Montreal - The city of Montreal fears losing its club in Major League Soccer (MLS) after the owner announced the club is up for sale.
Club president and founder Joey Saputo, visibly moved, announced on Monday evening that he had "decided to begin an organised process in preparation for selling the club." The Canadian businessman told a press conference: "We would prefer to find the right buyer here so that the club stays in Montreal." However, he could not guarantee that the club would remain in the largest city in the province of Quebec.
اضافة اعلان
In a closed league like MLS, relocating a club to another city remains possible.
The announcement that CF Montreal are for sale has raised concerns in political circles in the French-speaking province of Quebec. The province is still affected by the departure of the Montreal Expos baseball team in 2004, when they were moved to Washington.
The province's new separatist premier, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, said on Tuesday that he "will study what is put to us" by potential investors. He did not rule out the government taking a minority stake in the football club, founded in 1992, to prevent its relocation to another city.
He added: "A responsible government cannot close the door before looking at the proposals on the table."
For its part, Montreal city council said in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse: "Above all, we want the club to be able to rely on investors from Quebec who care about its future and want to see it continue to grow here in Montreal."
The club, which was known as Impact until 2021, is going through one of its worst seasons since joining MLS in 2012, having won only six matches and collected 26 points from 34 games.
CF Montreal, coached between 2019 and 2021 by Frenchman Thierry Henry, finished bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
