Luca Saputo said CF Montréal’s next steps will be handled by the Saputo family after Joey Saputo put the club up for sale.
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Luca Saputo says he and his family are focused on leaving CF Montréal “in a better place” after Joey Saputo announced Monday that he was putting the Major League Soccer franchise up for sale.
Saputo said the decision to move on has brought “a flood of memories,” describing the club as central to his life since birth and saying, “The club and I are like brothers.”
Joey Saputo founded the team as the Montreal Impact in 1992, and he said he would prefer to keep the team in Montreal while making clear the club could relocate if a suitable local buyer doesn’t emerge.
Until a sale is completed, the Saputo family will continue to run CF Montréal, with Luca and his brother, Simone, keeping their senior roles in soccer operations.
Saputo said he would not get into details of the family’s discussion about the sale and said, “In terms of the day-to-day, nothing changes.”
He said Montreal finished last in the Eastern Conference with six wins, 20 losses and eight draws, calling it the team’s worst season since joining MLS in 2012.
Saputo also said Montreal needs a new coach, with interim manager Philippe Eullaffroy not returning as first-team head coach next season after replacing Marco Donadel in April.
He said Montreal also faces challenges in attracting players while the club is for sale, but pointed to the Vancouver Whitecaps and their signing of Thomas Müller under similar circumstances, saying, “Just because a club is for sale, it doesn’t mean we can’t have success or have great players.”
Saputo said the club opens its 2027 campaign on Feb. 21 at Charlotte, then begins a six-game stretch away from home that includes a neutral-site matchup against D.C. United in Miami.
He noted that Stade Saputo is not winterized and that renovations at Olympic Stadium are still years away from completion.
The report also referenced CF Montréal player development in Canada, saying the club has helped produce multiple members of last summer’s World Cup roster, including goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau and defenders Alistair Johnston and Joel Waterman, along with midfielders Mathieu Choinière, Ismaël Koné and Nathan Saliba.
It also included comments from Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio, who said relocating the team would be “a shame” for Canadian soccer and for the rivalry, adding that “it wouldn’t be the same.”
Canada Soccer spokesperson Paulo Senra said in a statement that the federation supports keeping the club in Montreal, saying CF Montréal remains an important part of Canada’s national soccer landscape.
Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said the provincial government would not subsidize CF Montréal, but did not close the door on helping in some form, saying he hadn’t yet seen an investment proposal.
The material also included comments attributed to Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson, who said in French that it was Day 1 and that he would declare his intentions after some time has passed.
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