OGC Nice have been fined 750,000 euros by UEFA and have confirmed the return of former sporting director Roger Ricort in a turbulent week for one of the Côte d'Azur's most prominent football clubs.
Ricort, 67, served as Nice's sporting director between 2005 and 2009 under president Maurice Cohen and has been recalled to fill a similar role for the coming season, the club announced on Wednesday July 1. France 3 Régions described the appointments as coming in a context of financial tension at the club. The nature of the UEFA fine was not immediately specified by the governing body.
Separately, Nice striker Elye Wahi was denied a visa to travel with Côte d'Ivoire for their second World Cup match in Canada. The decision was linked to an ongoing investigation in France into match-fixing allegations, and means Wahi misses the crucial group stage fixture while his international teammates continue the tournament without him.
The news adds to a difficult summer for the Aiglons, who are simultaneously managing financial pressures, a high-profile UEFA sanction, a coaching transition following the appointment of Olivier Pantaloni earlier this season, and the absence of one of their senior forwards from the World Cup. Pantaloni, 59, was brought in to rebuild what France 3 Régions described as a sporting project in reconstruction.
Source: France 3 Régions, ICI France Bleu Azur