When Jacques Reboh arrived at the head of the club in 2016, the Wolf Burners remain on only one final disputed (and lost) in 6 seasons. Since then, and in as much time, Grenoble has systematically reached the last four, and is even currently competing against Angers for its third consecutive final (after 2018 and the 2019 title, the last two editions having been disrupted by the pandemic). A return to the forefront made possible by major investments, not without making a few waves in French hockeys.
From indebted to richly endowed
Child of the Olympic Village where his parents from Casablanca settled in the 1970s, Jacques Reboh made wealth in real estate, by growing the AGDA group (which he recently sold). A tennis player in his youth, he entered hockey in the wake of his son (now a player in the reserve team), and became a partner of the Brûleurs de Loups in the 2000s.
When he bought the club in 2016, the financial situation deteriorated with a very large debt. Between the reimbursement of this debt and the investments to rebuild a high standing team, Jacques Reboh has invested out of his own pocket well over a million euros. A significant sum, but the president of Grenoble assures us that he wants above all to build a perennial modelable to survive him: ” yes we are the richest club in France with a budget of 4 million euros “assumes Jacques Reboh” but above all we have the best economy, and it’s not an economy on a drip, it’s the consequence of all the work of the teams, we have built an economic model to have more people in the rink, in our VIP areas , and more advertisers. That’s what makes our economy today, and it’s not artificial “. About the filling of the South Pole ice rink (4208 places), the success is total since, this season, it is on average almost 90% full.
– Fabien Baldino Wolf Burners
Several passes of arms with the world of hockey
As we have said, Jacques Reboh does not come from the world of hockey, by his own admission, he did not never set foot in a skate. Active on social networks, and not having his tongue in his pocket, he has, in recent years, been at the heart of several controversies, in particular with the French Federation.
A year ago, the Grenoble president engaged in a showdown over the awarding of the title to Rouen. A few days ago, again, he was offended by the poor quality of the broadcasts of the first matches of the final. His arrival in hockey was therefore accompanied by many waves, but the Grenoble captain, ensures not to flourish in the storm. “I don’t take pleasure in conflict, I like mediation “claims Jacques Reboh” but I have an aversion to cheating, favoritism, inter-self, and I have unfortunately sometimes found this in our supervisory body”. Prompt to defend tooth and nail his club and his players, Jacques Reboh is likely to still be talked about in the years to come because whatever the outcome of the final against Angers, whose matches 3 and 4 take place this Saturday and Sunday, the president of Grenoble has not no plans to hand over.