CF Montréal owner Joey Saputo says he will initiate a sale process for the Major League Soccer club, while preferring it remains under Montreal ownership.
The Story
Joey Saputo says it is time for him to “pass the torch” as CF Montréal’s owner, and announced Monday that he is putting the Major League Soccer club up for sale.
Speaking at a news conference at Stade Saputo, Saputo said he would like the team to remain in Montreal, but he would not make staying in the city a condition of the sale. “I would love for the club to stay here in Montreal, but if the club doesn't find a local buyer and I get an offer and the club needs to be relocated, then I have no choice, and that's the decision I will take,” Saputo said.
Saputo said he is not discounting the club by selling it simply “for the sake of giving it away.” He added that the decision was not driven by any single season or event.
He cited his long involvement with the franchise, which he founded in 1992 as the Montreal Impact and helped bring into MLS in 2012. Saputo said, “When you've been in this the amount of time that I've been, there comes a certain point when you say, you know what, I've done everything that I could possibly do and it's time to pass the torch.”
In the wake of what he described as the worst season in the club’s MLS history, Montreal finished last in the Eastern Conference with six wins, 20 losses and eight draws. The team also lost the Canadian Championship final to Forge FC of the Canadian Premier League, and fans boycotted games late in the season.
Saputo said the decision to sell was not based on the family’s or the club’s financial situation. “One thing I want to make clear is that the financial status of the family or the club as such was never in question. I wasn't looking for partners because I didn't need partners,” he said. “This decision wasn't a decision that was based on the financial aspect of it.”
The 62-year-old billionaire also owns Stade Saputo, CF Montréal’s home stadium, and Bologna FC in Italy’s Serie A. Montreal, which Forbes valued at US$440 million in February, is the second Canadian MLS team on the market after the Vancouver Whitecaps began a sale process in December 2024.
Saputo said his family, including sons Luca and Simone who hold senior roles in CF Montréal’s soccer operations, would continue to work with the Olympic Park while the sale process is underway to secure a lease agreement “that would bring the club in line with some of the other teams.” He said the club’s spending plans could change “at that particular point in time,” depending on the outcome of the sale.
He also said the family would remain involved in efforts to bring a national soccer training centre to Montreal, noting that this would depend on whether the club remains in the city.
“I love this club, I would love for this club to stay here,” Saputo said. “But if an owner comes in that doesn't have the capacity to keep the club at the level that it needs to be at, and to spend the money that needs to be spent in order to bring in the players this city wants to see, then at that point, I'm not doing anyone a favour by selling it to someone just to keep it here.”
Saputo added that if a buyer has the resources to keep the club competing at the level it needs, “I would love for this club to be here and stay here and continue to build on what we did.” He said that if an offer comes in to relocate the club “and it's in line with Major League Soccer and what they wanted, too,” then relocation is possible.
← More stories