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Francis Graille (born 25 April 1955) is a French businessman and executive. He has worked for various media companies, and served as the president of professional football clubs Lille OSC, Paris Saint-Germain, and AJ Auxerre.

Career

In 1982, Graille began his career working as a local correspondent for news agency Agence France-Presse in his native Le Puy-en-Velay. In 1986, he became a regional manager at radio station NRJ, before discovering the world of television with Télé Lyon Métropole. Graille would go on to found Concept TV and Visual TV, two television production companies.

From 1999 to 2002, Graille worked as the director of football club Lille OSC, in association with Luc Dayan [fr]. From 2003 to 2005, he was the president of Paris Saint-Germain.

In 2006, Graille started working in film production by founding Holi Films. In 2007, he became an executive at Sportfive, which had been recently acquired by Lagardère Group. He was in charge of the company's media branch, and specialized in the promotion of TV rights. He left Sportfive in 2009.

In June 2010, Graille received an eight-month suspended sentence and a €20,000 fine for illegal transfer dealings during his time as the president of Paris Saint-Germain. His predecessor Laurent Perpère [fr] was also convicted.

On 17 May 2017, Graille became the president of football club AJ Auxerre, as a representative of Chinese majority owner ORG Technology. He left in May 2021, and was replaced by James Zhou [fr], the owner of ORG Technology.

References

1. ^ "Francis Graille, son parcours en huit dates". L'Yonne Républicaine (in French). 17 May 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
2. ^ "Francis Graille, ancien président du LOSC, prend les commandes de l'AJ Auxerre". France 3 (in French). 17 May 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
3. ^ "Ligue 2 : Francis Graille, nouveau président de l'AJ Auxerre". BeSoccer (in French). 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
4. "Sportfive, leader européen du marketing sportif". Le Parisien (in French). 15 April 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
5. "Two former PSG presidents fined and given suspended jail terms". iSportConnect. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
6. "Transferts du PSG : prison avec sursis pour Graille et Perpère". Le Parisien (in French). 30 June 2010. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
7. "Francis Graille nouveau président de l'AJ Auxerre (officiel)". L'Équipe (in French). 17 May 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
8. Rose, Isabelle (17 May 2017). "Francis Graille officiellement président de l'AJA, après la tenue du conseil d'administration de la SAS AJA". France Bleu (in French). Retrieved 28 December 2023.
9. "" Le plan n'a pas été réalisé ", justifie James Zhou à propos du départ de Francis Graille à Auxerre". L'Équipe. 5 May 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2023.

• 1955 births
• Living people
• 20th-century French businesspeople
• 21st-century French businesspeople
• French football chairmen and investors
• Paris Saint-Germain FC presidents
• French media executives
• Lille OSC non-playing staff
• AJ Auxerre non-playing staff