“We clearly know that the situation is complicated and it is really very hard for us,” Jeremie Mouiel told L’Equipe.
Paris Volley faces severe financial collapse that threatens to prevent the nine-time French champions from finishing the first half of the season, Polsat Sport reported. The club has struggled with money troubles for a long period, with debts reaching up to one million euros according to estimates from the newspaper L’Equipe.
The capital city team gathered emergency funds at the last moment just to start the current league season. Because ownership changes failed to materialize, officials remain uncertain whether the squad can complete even the opening round of matches.
Two weeks prior to the crisis deepening, Paris Volley put forward a rescue plan. That proposal relied on reaching an agreement between the club, Vero Volley owner Aldo Fumagalli, and Les Mariannes 92 women’s team president Philippe Peters.
French media reported that three-way talks produced no results by Friday, November 13. Fumagalli reportedly considered withdrawing from the project entirely.
Stephane Antiga Helped Save Paris Volley During 2018 Relegation
The club dealt with severe distress before. In 2018, French authorities forcibly relegated Paris Volley to Ligue 2 due to financial irregularities, casting doubt on their participation in the second tier.
Stephane Antiga stepped in during that earlier crisis to save the team. The former player and later coach of the Polish men’s national team persuaded fellow players like Michal Kubiak to help, while Wilfredo Leon also provided support.
The current financial distress places the club’s future in immediate jeopardy. Mouiel, the team’s libero, addressed the difficulties in comments to L’Equipe.
“Frankly, I wouldn’t want to comment on the matter because this is not a topic of conversation with the players,” Mouiel told L’Equipe.
Upcoming CEV Cup Matches
Paris Volley is scheduled to compete against PGE GIEK Skra Belchatow in the CEV Cup competition. The financial uncertainty now surrounds those international fixtures as internal funding talks stall.
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