CF Montréal owner Joey Saputo announced he is putting the MLS club up for sale but said he would not make keeping the team in Montreal a condition of the deal.
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Joey Saputo says it is time for new ownership at CF Montréal, and he has put the Major League Soccer club up for sale while leaving open the possibility of relocation.
Saputo made the announcement Monday during a news conference at Stade Saputo, saying he would prefer the team remain in Montreal but will not guarantee that outcome if a local buyer cannot be found. “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.
He also said his decision was not driven by the club’s recent results or by financial pressure. “It's not the past season that we had, or wasn't one particular event,” he said, adding that after leading the club for a long period, “it's time to pass the torch.”
The announcement comes after what Saputo described as the worst season in CF Montréal’s MLS history. Montreal finished last in the Eastern Conference with six wins, 20 losses and eight draws, and the club lost the Canadian Championship final to Forge FC of the Canadian Premier League. Fans also boycotted games late in the season as struggles continued.
Saputo, 62, founded the franchise in 1992 as the Montreal Impact and helped bring the club into MLS in 2012. He said he had taken the team “as far as [he] could,” and he pointed to the club’s broader context rather than focusing on any single season.
He said the sale decision was not based on the family or club finances. “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,” Saputo said. “This decision wasn't a decision that was based on the financial aspect of it.”
Saputo also owns Stade Saputo, the team’s home stadium, and Bologna FC in Italy’s Serie A. Montreal is valued at US$440 million by Forbes, as of February.
The sale comes as CF Montréal faces a stadium calendar challenge tied to MLS’s shift to a summer-to-spring schedule in 2028, after the 2027 sprint season. Stade Saputo is not winterized, and while Olympic Stadium could become an option in the future, it is described as still years away from being ready to host events.
Until a sale is completed, Saputo said his family would continue working with the Olympic Park to secure a lease agreement aimed at bringing the club “in line with some of the other teams.” He also said the family would remain involved in efforts to bring a national soccer training centre to Montreal, though those plans depend on whether the team stays in the city.
Saputo reiterated his preference to keep the club in Montreal, saying he wants ownership that has the capacity to maintain CF Montréal at the level the city expects. “I love this club, I would love for this club to stay here,” he said, adding that if a new owner lacks that capacity and an offer aligns with Major League Soccer’s needs, “that's where it's gonna be.”
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