'We can be annoyed' – Franck Haise reacts to Jim Ratcliffe's OGC Nice criticism
03/28/2025 12:20 PM
"But I don't particularly enjoy going to watch Nice because there are some good players, but the level of football is not high enough for me to get excited,” Sir Jim Ratcliffe told The Times earlier this month. Those comments came despite INEOS’ ownership of OGC Nice and have caused quite a stir in France.
This year, INEOS’ focus is on Manchester United. UEFA regulations have stipulated that, with Nice and Manchester United both in the UEFA Europa League, INEOS could have no contact with the former. "The best season that Nice has had is this one where we've not been allowed to get involved because of multi-club ownership rules," Ratcliffe adds. "They've been so much better without our interference! Maybe there's a lesson there as well, you know."
Ratcliffe and INEOS absent from Allianz Riviera this season
In a press conference attended by Get French Football News, Nice manager Franck Haise has responded to Ratcliffe’s comments on Le Gym. “The article that [the comments] appeared in was a lot more complete than that. But he hasn’t seen a Nice match this season. He is speaking a bit more about what he saw at another time. With the people who are here at the club, we are here to make the club progress in order to be even better,” said Haise, who currently has Nice on course for qualification for the UEFA Champions League.
He continued, “It’s not that serious. We can be annoyed, that’s obvious. But is it really worth staying annoyed for a long time? We have to keep working, enjoying ourselves and doing the best possible. We have to move on and continue on our path.”
GFFN | Luke Entwistle – reporting from Nice
