The deal comes after CVC had spent months trying unsuccessfully to sell a large stake in GSG at a €9 billion valuation. GSG was created last year by the Amsterdam-listed private equity firm to house its sports investments, spanning European football leagues, English rugby and women’s tennis. The US private capital firm will also pay up to €200 million for a 6 per cent equity stake in GSG, with CVC owning the rest, the people added. CVC’s approach has been to take minority stakes in competitions – its 2017 and 2020 flagship private equity funds invested in seven sports leagues – and then to influence how they are run. Critics believe CVC created GSG partly to mask some of its unsuccessful investments, including in French football and English club rugby.

Source: The Irish Times March 10, 2026 20:38 UTC