Pierre Gasly has made an investment in FC Versailles becoming a co-owner of the semi-professional French football team based in Paris.
Alpine F1 racer and ardent PSG supporter Pierre Gasly has just elevated his passion for football to a new level by making an investment in French semi-pro club FC Versailles.
Gasly has long desired to venture into professional football, and the 28-year-old has chosen to begin his journey in the sport with the club, which battles in France’s third division, Championnat National.
The Frenchman has now become the third partner in the football club alongside President Alexandre Mulliez, who is the grandson of the founder of the Auchan retail group, and his partner Fabien Lazare.
“I am delighted to get involved with FC Versailles because I have always wanted to get involved in professional football,” Gasly said. “With Alexandre and Fabien, we share values, ambition and a keen competitive spirit which will allow us to positively develop the club.
“This is the start of a very beautiful story. Go Versailles!”
FC Versaille’s co-owners are hoping that Gasly’s input will help the team gain international recognition and exposure as it moves towards eventually becoming a fully professional team.
“Pierre brings a strong complement to Fabien and myself,” Mulliez said. “I am convinced that our collaboration will be fruitful. As a long-time fan of F1, I am lucky to have Pierre by our side to achieve all our goals.”
The Stade de Montbauron which is the home stadium of Versailles, can hold a little over 7,500 spectators. French football legend and 1998 FIFA World Cup winner Thierry Henry and former France midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa both played for FC Versailles’ youth team before becoming famous.
Gasly’s football journey takes place against the backdrop of his Alpine team’s dismal season so far, as they are currently competing towards the bottom of the grid.
Gasly and teammate Esteban Ocon have not succeeded in securing any points in the team’s new A524 car due to technical troubles. However, there’s no reason to believe that the squad will give up on attempting to get better this season, despite the setbacks.
“Chipping away I’m definitely feeling ready for the next opportunity in Melbourne this weekend,” Gasly said speaking ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix. “It has not been the start to the season that we wanted, but, in reality, it was one we expected to be challenging and that has proven to be the case.
“I was in Enstone for a couple of days last week. It was good to spend time with many different people and to discuss a few things on how we can improve.
“I also took some time at the whole team debrief to say a few words on my feeling inside of the car. I see so much hunger and motivation in everyone at the team to improve our situation.
“We’ll keep chipping away and we have Australia this weekend to keep understanding more about what we have in our hands.”
