Chien Lee is one of the busiest investors in football. In an interview with t-online, he explains how he chooses his clubs – and can't resist a tip against ManCity.

Barnsley FC, FC Thun, KV Oostende, AS Nancy-Lorraine, Esbjerg fB, FC Den Bosch, OGC Nice: the list of professional football clubs in Europe that Chien Lee currently owns or has owned in the past is long - and could soon be even longer will. At the beginning of December, the American entrepreneur confirmed to t-online that he would like to take over a Bundesliga club "sooner or later".
But how does a financial expert, who made his fortune in the hotel industry in particular, end up putting his money into football clubs across Europe? How does he choose his clubs? Lee asks these and other questions in the t-online interview - and explains with a laugh what fundamentally distinguishes him from the owners of the top English club Manchester City.


t-online: Mr. Lee, how was your connection to football before you made your first investment at OGC Nice in 2016?
Chien Lee: I like the sport and have been following it since I was young. However, before taking over OGC Nice, I had no connection to the football business. At that time, I saw above all the opportunities that European football offered me as a financial investor focused on long-term projects, and the development potential of the club.
So the main reason for entering the football business with the takeover of OGC Nice was the prospect of tying up your capital in a long-term investment?
Nice is a traditional French club that is particularly interesting for young talents with its well-run youth academy and the high permeability to the professional area. That's why I chose this club back then, because I see the development of my own players as the quintessence of a long-term investment in the sports business. I don't believe in overnight success. Success requires patience. Also to emphasize this self-image, our first major financial project in Nice was the construction of a modern training ground for the youth teams.


According to which parameters do you select clubs that are suitable for an investment?
The philosophy and the infrastructural state of the youth academy are the first two aspects that we look at with a club that we are interested in. Only then do we take a close look at the current club management and ask ourselves whether we can start our journey together.


To what extent do you deal with the history and the fan scene of the club before the first talks?
You can't be successful with a football club if you don't have the support of the fans behind you. To do this, you always have to be aware of the culture in which the club and its fans operate - and then adapt it as an investor. As the owner, I am expected to behave very differently in Barnsley, England, than is the case, for example, in Oostende, Belgium.

Your portfolio currently includes six clubs in six countries. Which synergy effects should ideally arise between the clubs?
I want each of my current six clubs to function independently of one another and write their own individual story. Nevertheless, I hope for the synergy effects mentioned. I am currently doing this through one person in particular: Gauthier Ganaye.


Gauthier is a young, highly talented football official who I have already entrusted to Barnsley and Nice and currently runs both Oostende and Nancy. He knows the vision and values ​​of my investment company NewCity Capital like no other and can implement them efficiently and cost-effectively at two locations in my network.
Should a hierarchy of the NewCity clubs develop over time or should all clubs act independently of one another and be successful?
There are currently no considerations to classify our clubs according to a pyramid system. At the moment we are mainly busy with economically interlinking the clubs. In other words: if we succeed in winning a sponsor for a club, we can also get him enthusiastic about a second or third club from our network. Ideally, a potential sponsor can advertise their brand on six different jerseys in six different countries. From a marketing perspective, this is arguably our most powerful bargaining chip.