Nîmes Olympique: after months of open war, Rani Assaf and Jean-Paul Fournier will meet again around the table

Une réunion qui fait suite à une rupture de dialogue actée depuis des mois entre le président de Nîmes Olympique et les représentants de la municipalité. Midi Libre – THIERRY ALBENQUE

La réunion qui se tiendra cette semaine fait suite à un permis de construire, déposé par la SAS Nemau pour le projet initial de rénovation des Costières, devenu caduque depuis le 31 décembre dernier.

We have known for a long time now: relations between the City of Nîmes and the president of Nîmes Olympique have reached a point of no return. However, after months and months of broken dialogue, Jean-Paul Fournier and Rani Assaf will find themselves around the same table.

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A “meeting clause”

However, the time has not come for reconciliation, but rather for a necessary continuation of the procedure between the two entities. Since December 31, 2024, in fact, the sales agreement that binds Rani Assaf, via SAS Nemau, and the municipality has now lapsed. The result of the deterioration of the understanding between the two camps which led to the renovation project of the Costières stadium becoming a fiasco.

But what will be the point of this meeting? “A lot of hypotheses are provided for in the sales agreement, including the one that is coming up, according to which the two parties have not managed to reach an agreement,” explains the first deputy Julien Plantier. “In this case, continues the person in charge of urban planning files, there is a meeting clause which provides that the two parties agree to a meeting, whatever the form, to consider what happens next. We had a meeting at the beginning of the year with our notary council in relation to this, a letter was drawn up for the attention of Mr. Assaf to agree on a meeting date. It has been done, it will take place this week, normally on the 6th.”

The appeal brought by Rani Assaf is still in court

In September 2023, the Cnac (National Commission for Commercial Development) issued an unfavourable opinion on the new stadium and district project led by Rani Assaf's SAS Nemau. In January 2024, the owner of Nîmes Olympique filed an appeal against the refusal of the building permit issued by the municipality following the Cnac's decision. The file, which was to be examined by the Paris Administrative Court of Appeal, was transferred to Toulouse, as the deadlines for the Occitan jurisdiction are shorter than those for the Paris region. However, to date, no date has yet been communicated on this case which is “still pending”.

Neither Julien Plantier, “so that there are no misunderstandings or a desire to exploit”, nor Nicolas Rainville, Deputy for Sports, will participate in this “technical” meeting between the counsel and the parties.

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