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What terrible timing to catch a cold!
In the space of 24 hours, Joey Saputo's press conference had me chatting on the air with Mario Dumont, Tony Marinaro, Max Lalonde, Gilbert Delorme, Marc-André Perreault, Nilton Jorge, Ben Roger, Pierre Couture, Dan Gravel, and many others. All of this with a voice that would have made me cancel my studio sessions back in the days of the Assembly!
But deep down, I'm just a tiny speck of sand in the media storm sparked by Joey Saputo's announcement yesterday afternoon: CF Montréal is up for sale. And there's a good chance it'll leave Montréal sooner rather than later…
Yesterday, a few hours before Joey Saputo's speech, I shared my expectations regarding this official statement. Unfortunately, my fears turned out to be true.
How have I come to terms with all this, some twenty hours later?
Just because I saw the gist of that speech coming doesn't mean I liked it.
I realized a long time ago that top-level soccer (MLS) would most likely not be able to survive the Saputo family's eventual “withdrawal.” However, we have to be honest: the Saputo family did an ENORMOUS amount for Quebec soccer from 1993 to 2019… but since the pandemic, things haven't been the same.
Joey Saputo distanced himself from his “baby,” and the passionate bond he had with Montreal slowly eroded.
There was the Radio-Canada (“Enquête”) report on the Saputo family's alleged ties to certain American criminals.
There was the Saputo family's capital flight to Florida and Italy…
There was the pandemic and the enormous losses that came with it.
There was the rebrand.
There have been years of hardship, weighed down by meager financial investments.
In short, the CF Montréal ship had been taking on water for several years. I think yesterday afternoon's press conference was inevitable. The status quo was no longer an option.
Sometimes it's better to be alone than in bad company.
But there's a BIG problem: Joey Saputo indicated yesterday that he was going to sell to the highest bidder—that's it. The longer the press conference went on, the less hesitant Joey Saputo became about considering the option of selling the team and relocating it.
There aren't many businesspeople in Quebec wealthy enough to buy CF Montréal. In fact, there's only one man with enough money who has already proven he's willing to shell out half a billion to acquire a professional sports franchise in Montreal: Geoff Molson.
The problem with Geoff is that if he'd really wanted to buy the Impact, he most likely would have done so already.
Think about it: Andrew Molson, Geoff's brother, owns National, the firm that organized yesterday afternoon's press conference. He's also a shareholder in the Montreal Canadiens, through Groupe CH.
Do you really think that if the Molsons wanted to acquire CF Montréal, they would have organized yesterday's press conference themselves? They would have made an offer, without all the fanfare, right?
It's a bit like a real estate agent who spots a “bargain.” He's going to try to buy it himself before taking on the mandate to sell it to the highest bidder, right?
The other problem—and I'm going to be careful with the words I use here—is that soccer is a multicultural sport that resonates most with the younger generations in Quebec. However, most of Quebec's ultra-wealthy are old and “native-born,” as PSPP would say. I have a feeling that CF Montréal is up for sale 10 or 15 years too early. By 2040, the wealthiest Quebecers will be people who are into soccer. But not in 2026…
And there will always be the reality of Quebec versus the United States. We like to bash Americans and their economy here in Quebec, but one fact remains: the United States is richer, more productive, and healthier in terms of entrepreneurship than we are. If Joey Saputo intends to sell to the highest bidder and the MLS doesn't throw a wrench in the works to try to convince him to stay in Montreal, that offer will most likely come from an investor south of the border.
A recent decision?
I know, a lot of things haven't made sense since last night. Why publish a letter outlining the Saputo family's ambitions less than 18 months ago if not to sell the club afterward?
Why negotiate with the Olympic Stadium?
Why try to secure the national training center?
From what I understand, the Saputo family had a plan in place for quite some time: to try to revive the franchise, regain the support of the fans, the media, Quebec Inc., and the governments, bring back success on the field, and win trophies… all while continuing to invest very little. If that had worked, we probably wouldn't have had yesterday's press conference. But it didn't work…
So they had a backup plan…
When and how much?
Since the entry fee paid to MLS to create San Diego FC cost a record $500 million USD—and since, generally speaking, the value of a franchise in a given league only goes up—I think CF Montréal could sell for around $600 million USD. Maybe more…
That's practically 1 billion Canadian dollars… for a team that loses between 20 and 30 million Canadian dollars a year. A team that doesn't have a modern stadium or a place to train in the winter (even though we'll be playing in the winter from now on).
I'll say it again: I hope I'm wrong, but I find it hard to imagine a Quebec investor stepping up and getting involved in this.
I believe CF Montréal will play its sprint season, and then perhaps the first winter season in MLS history. If no serious Quebec buyer has come forward by then, it's a safe bet that this will be the end of MLS in Quebec.
A Few Thoughts
– Soccer is the most popular sport on the planet AND the sport most played by our young Quebecers. The Montreal market is also rich and has great potential. Why haven't we ever been able to make the Impact profitable since it joined MLS?
– Those of you rejoicing over CF Montréal's eventual departure—you need therapy to work through some issues…
– Will Alexis Sánchez have been something like the last gasp of a human being on the brink of death? He takes a deep breath—we dare to hope… then he passes away.
– I wonder why the Saputo family isn't passing the club down to their children. In my opinion, that speaks volumes…
– People I've spoken to believe that, on one hand, the Saputos would indeed like to sell to Quebec-based interests to keep the franchise in Montreal. However, they also think that Joey wouldn't want to see people from here succeed where he failed. An interesting thought…
– Man, Montreal is going to look ridiculous if CF Montreal ends up moving and the Alouettes don't move into Olympic Stadium. What are we going to do with our new $1.5 billion stadium? Two or three concerts a year and trade shows like at the Palais des congrès?
– Will Quebecers have to go to Toronto to watch top-level baseball, basketball, and soccer? That really saddens me…
– It looks like MLS is becoming a 100% American league, and that the CPL will indeed become the best league in Canada. That saddens me, too…
– I'll leave you with this Space episode recorded live last night. Lots of information and lots of emotions—if you're up for it…
https://t.co/NKvT3tHrzR
— Nilton Jorge (@NiltonJorge) November 10, 2026
