A former boss of Six Nations Rugby is to step down as head of the industrial operations of French soccer’s high flight after simply two years.
His departure will come as CVC Capital Companions, the prolific sports activities investor which paid €1.5bn to purchase a 13% stake in Ligue 1’s industrial rights, seeks to exert larger management over the enterprise.
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Ligue 1, which options golf equipment together with Paris Saint-Germain, FC Nantes and Toulouse, discovered itself on the centre of a media rights disaster earlier this yr.
In July, it struck a €500m broadcast take care of the streaming platform DAZN and Qatari-owned beIN – a reduction to the earlier settlement.
This month, it emerged that French monetary prosecutor had searched the places of work of the nation’s soccer league and CVC, and the house of Vincent Labrune, chairman of the industrial rights-holder.
Mr Morel’s exit from his function will not be related to that probe, sources mentioned, and he has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Earlier than becoming a member of the Ligue 1 industrial entity, he spent almost 5 years working Six Nations Rugby, which can also be part-owned by CVC.
He additionally labored for the Nationwide Basketball Affiliation for 20 years.
CVC’s funding in French soccer was structured in three tranches between the summer season of 2022 and July this yr.
One soccer trade supply mentioned that France’s elite golf equipment had been supportive of CVC taking larger management of the game’s industrial operations within the wake of the media rights debacle.
CVC has turn into probably the most distinguished personal fairness investor in international sport, making a good-looking return from its prolonged possession of Method One motor racing.
It has since invested in cricket, tennis and volleyball, in addition to rugby.
CVC declined to touch upon Thursday night.
