Brest are Champions League surprise package

While many clubs’ ascent to European competition has been driven by deep-pocketed owners, Brest’s uptick in fortunes has relied on canny use of its small budget and a focus on experienced players.  Its old-school model of local owners and prudent transfers is the antithesis of cash-rich clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain.

To stay in Europe’s elite club competition, “the Pirates” face a tough second-leg match at PSG next week. The team lost the first-leg to its French rivals 3-0. The tie highlights the stark disparities between the tournament’s biggest and smallest teams. 

Over the past decade, Qatar-owned PSG has spent close to €2bn on transfers, according to Transfermarkt — 40 times more than the Britanny club. Brest reported revenue of €51mn for 2022-23, a fraction of the €807mn earned by its Parisian rival over the same season.

Stade Brestois 29, the club’s full name, has a loyal fan base in the rainy industrial port with working-class roots. Yet the team’s success has struck a chord beyond Brittany at a time when French clubs are grappling with the fallout of a botched TV rights auction that has threatened the game’s financial stability, and a controversial investment deal with private equity firm CVC Capital Partners.

With a relatively modest budget of €48mn, Brest often waits until the end of transfer windows to recruit players who have not secured deals elsewhere, such as former Lyon winger Mama Baldé. “[Brest] has to be clever and find luck with players who are good but not yet discovered or players who are already very experienced and want a fresh start,” manager Éric Roy told the Financial Times. “It’s not easy because in this world money is often the decisive factor.”

Brest has one of the oldest squads in France’s Ligue 1, according to Transfermarkt, based on all players used this season. It includes former Lille midfielder Jonas Martin, 34, and Pierre Lees-Melou — 31, and a former amateur player.

Playing on Europe’s biggest stage brought financial challenges, said Le Saint. Its four home games cost €2mn alone, as Brest, whose ageing stadium did not meet Uefa standards, had to play matches 100km away in Guingamp. It paid to renovate the host club’s stadium and split ticket revenues.

Brest’s stadium is squeezed between a high school and residential flats and cannot easily be expanded. But Brest-headquartered mutual bank Crédit Mutuel Arkéa, a bank with agricultural roots in the region, is co-funding a new 15,000-seat stadium just outside the city that will be fit to host European games.