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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.
Francis Graille | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 April 1955 Le Puy-en-Velay, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, executive |
In 1982, Graille began his career working as a local correspondent for news agency Agence France-Presse in his native Le Puy-en-Velay.[1] In 1986, he became a regional manager at radio station NRJ, before discovering the world of television with Télé Lyon Métropole.[1][2] Graille would go on to found Concept TV and Visual TV, two television production companies.[3]
From 1999 to 2002, Graille worked as the director of football club Lille OSC, in association with Luc Dayan.[1][2] From 2003 to 2005, he was the president of Paris Saint-Germain.[3]
In 2006, Graille started working in film production by founding Holi Films.[1] 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.[4][3] He left Sportfive in 2009.[2]
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.[5] His predecessor Laurent Perpère was also convicted.[6]
On 17 May 2017, Graille became the president of football club AJ Auxerre, as a representative of Chinese majority owner ORG Technology.[7][8] He left in May 2021, and was replaced by James Zhou, the owner of ORG Technology.[9]
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