Jean-Pierre Rivère's departure from OGC Nice: the end of an era

A bombshell has hit OGC Nice: Jean-Pierre Rivère will soon no longer be its president. The rumor had been permeating social media since Thursday evening. The businessman, who will celebrate his 68th birthday in September, announced yesterday morning to employees and players that he was leaving his position on August 20th. He did so on camera this afternoon. "I asked the shareholders if I could step down at the end of my term. It was a considered and very calm decision. The endowment fund will allow me to maintain a connection with the club."

He was about to celebrate his fifty-fourth birthday when Jean-Pierre Rivère injected eleven million euros of his real estate fortune into the coffers of a club that looked like an empty shell. As the 2025-2026 season dawns, he leaves the club with a valuation of 200 million euros, on the brink of the Champions League. Under Rivère, OGC Nice changed its stadium, its training center, and its ambitions. In short, the president kept his word by propelling the club into a new dimension.

"I'm a supporter of the club. Lately, I've been a little upset that a businessman richer than me hasn't bought the club. Then I said to myself: 'I'm going for it!'" the man who grew up in Nice since he was ten years old, justified himself when he officially presented himself at Charles-Ehrmann on July 11, 2011. "I'm only promised blows and difficulties, but at some point, you have to take the plunge. But I didn't come here to make a financial transaction. I'm here for OGC Nice because I have a passion for this club. I wouldn't have invested in any other."

Only the prospect of the Grand Stade is positive for the Ray resident, accustomed to fighting to stay in Ligue 1. "It's not enough. We must first lay solid foundations and that's my job. To build and build. We're going to do our utmost on the non-sporting side and then focus on the sporting side. I don't have a magic wand, but with a common project and everyone's mobilization, we'll do everything we can to ensure the club has greater peace of mind in the future."

Six years later, the Aiglons moved into a €13.5 million training center in the Plaine du Var. With the magician Lucien Favre as coach, the indestructible Dante as captain, the whimsical Mario Balotelli in charge, and a historic Ligue 1 podium finish at the end (2016-17). "I loved the victory against Paris with goals from Mario, Ricardo, and Donis. 3-1 against PSG, a match dominated from start to finish, it was delicious," the president recently rewinded. "At that time, we didn't have a lot of resources, but this team gave so much pleasure."

With respect and consideration for the club's employees, CEO Julien Fournier as project manager and an ambitious project roadmap, Rivère very often had flair and rich casting ideas. After Claude Puel as builder, Hatem Ben Arfa as conductor, the "Prez" went after Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos' millions with an email and a forceful move when he slammed the club's door in the face of Patrick Vieira and the Chinese shareholders (January 2019). "With their toxic loan (22 million euros), the club was in very great danger," he explained upon his return to the helm as deputy president in August.

This time, Jean-Pierre Rivère will not be returning. After backtracking on Blackmore and his wealthy Saudi prince (2016), skillfully slaloming between the pitfalls of Christophe Galtier's mandate and the missed Coupe de France final (2021-2022), the white-shirted captain is letting go of the helm with an average of one European qualification every two years (seven times in fourteen seasons) and the image of a man of rare elegance who has remade OGC Nice a club that counts in the Ligue 1 landscape.

Leaving the Gym presidency means handing over his seat to Fabrice Bocquet, previously the general director, and also abandoning the position he has held since 2016 on the League's board of directors. "Leaving, turning a page, and passing the baton is always more difficult than arriving," predicted the Condom (Gers) native on the sidelines of his inauguration. "It's ultimately simpler when leaving is our own decision and not one imposed on us," corrected the man of values, who can leave with his head held high and a sense of accomplishment. Stunned at first, then grateful later, all Gym fans already regret it.