What's in a phrase ? It seems that the phrase "Cambodian Crown Prince", which was used some international media reports, is inexact, and the Ministry of the Royal Palace (Cambodia) has set the record straight: Cambodia does not have a "Crown Prince".

No ‘Crown Prince’ exists to buy France football club: ministry
Voun Dara | Publication date 20 September 2021 | 21:13 ICT

The Ministry of the Royal Palace has denied media reports that a Cambodian “Crown Prince” had purchased the AS Saint Etienne football club of France’s top-flight LIGUE 1 at the cost of €100 million ($117 million).

In a press statement on September 19, the ministry stressed that Cambodia has no “Crown Prince” title under the terms of the Constitution.

“The Ministry of the Royal Palace would like to inform the national and international public that on September 18, 2021, there were various articles published in French newspapers related to a ‘Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Cambodia’ who intended to purchase the AS Saint Etienne football club for €100 million.

“The Ministry of the Royal Palace reaffirms that there is no article in the Constitution or the law on the organisation and functioning of the Crown Council of the Kingdom of Cambodia that stipulates the appointment of a Crown Prince, and there is no national institution nor any individual who has the priority right to designate a Crown Prince,” said the statement.

Citing French newspaper Le Parisien, several sports media outlets published articles saying that Cambodian Prince Norodom Ravichok was buying Saint-Etienne but the club’s board had not responded to the offer.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... b-ministry

The original topic:
LIGUE 1 – Cambodian prince offers €100m to buy Saint-Étienne
September 19, 2021

Le Parisien reported last night that a €100m offer has come in from Cambodian prince Norodom Ravichok to take over Ligue 1 side Saint–Étienne.

Les Verts’ board has yet to respond to the offer, which was put forward to KPMG – the firm in charge of finding a new investor, according to France Bleu – on Friday. Discussions could be set to kick off in the coming days, with the offer coming as a surprise given the current financial situation.

Norodom is said to be a avowed Francophile, with his grandfather having been a personal friend of Charles de Gaulle. The prince is a fan of football, and is reportedly looking to carry forward the long-held ties between France and Cambodia by taking over one of French football’s historic clubs.
Source: transfermarketweb.com
https://soccernews.gomoguides.com/2021/ ... s-results/

I wonder to what extent $100M could help the people of this country during this global COVID-19 pandemic, causing what's often said to have been financially crippling for many.

Why spend your own illegally obtained resources to help your citizenry when you can beg and whine for increased foreign aid??

Allusions of Shady Dealings by Cambodian Prince's Partners in French Football Deal:

Partners of Cambodian Prince Bidding for French Soccer Club Linked to FIFA ‘Bribery’ Case
Prince Norodom Ravichak, a nephew of King Norodom Sihamoni, has a public image of a businessman and philanthropist.
By Jack Adamović Davies
2021-09-21

The Cambodian royal family has made headlines in France with the news that Prince Norodom Ravichak has made a €100 million ($117 million) offer to purchase top-flight French soccer club Saint-Étienne. The bid may be marred, however, by the prince’s business partners in Phnom Penh and Paris having been linked to an alleged bribe paid to a top official from FIFA, the sport’s international governing body, RFA can reveal.

Ravichak is a nephew of King Norodom Sihamoni. His public image is of a businessman and philanthropist, and French broadcaster France24 reported on Tuesday that the prince's business network straddles Europe, the Middle East and China, including close relationships with state-owned enterprises and investment funds.

In 2015, Ravichak registered Cambodia Consulting Group with the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce along with his brother Norodom Narithipong and two Qatar-based French nationals: brothers Ahmed and Abdelkader Bessedik. The following year, Ravichak and Ahmed also set up shop in Paris with another company named B&N Conseil et Stratégie, seemingly named for the initials of partners’ family names.

Business records in France and Cambodia indicate that the Bessedik brothers are the only co-owners of Ravichak’s companies who are not members of the Cambodian royal family, suggesting that their relationship is a close one.

His transnational ties to the Bessediks may prove problematic in light of his attempt to purchase Saint-Étienne, one of France’s best-known soccer clubs. While Saint-Etienne's glory days were in the 1960s and 70s, when it dominated French soccer, the club continues to play in Ligue 1, the country's top division, and has a sprinkling of international stars on its squad.

RFA has learned that around the time that Cambodia Consulting Group and B&N Conseil et Stratégie were being established, the Bessediks featured in a corruption investigation by Swiss law enforcement into Qatari media tycoon Nasser Al Khelaifi, who has been president of Paris Saint-Germain – another top flight French soccer club -- since it was acquired by Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund in 2011.

The investigation examined allegations that former FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke had accepted a bribe from Al Khelaifi in return for the broadcasting rights to the 2026 and 2030 World Cups. The 2026 World Cup will be held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The venue for the 2030 has yet to be announced.

The alleged bribe came in the form of 18 months exclusive use of a Sardinian villa, saving Valcke an estimated €1.8 million ($2.1 million) in rent. In return, prosecutors alleged that Valcke had given Al Khelaifi’s BeIn media group (where Ahmed Bessedik was a senior executive) preferential treatment in awarding it the World Cup broadcasting rights.

Both Valcke and Al Khelaifi consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with the case, and in October 2020, a Swiss court found that neither were guilty of a criminal offense in connection with the villa – a ruling Swiss prosecutors have vowed to appeal. Confusingly, however, the court also found that the pair had nonetheless entered into a “corruptive arrangement” with regard to the villa and that they had “adopted unfair and unlawful behavior.”
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambod ... 93304.html

November 9, 2021
Cambodian prince Norodom Ravichak to meet with KPMG over Saint-Étienne Football Club takeover

Foot Mercato reported yesterday that Saint-Étienne’s search for a takeover project has sees a number of potential projects still in the race, with the deadline for written offers on Monday.

Former Les Verts player Mathieu Bodmer and former Marseille president Jean-Michel Roussier, backed by an investment fund from abroad, are in a particularly favourable position. The ex-midfielder is notably setting out how the team can be reinforced – ahead of this season’s relegation battle – notably looking at Bayern Munich’s Tanguy Kouassi and former French international Eliaquim Mangala.

Meanwhile, Cambodian prince Norodom Ravichak remains in the race. The much-publicised bid – which L’Équipe had reported last month was on the verge of being withdrawn – will reportedly see Ravichak travel to Paris in the coming hours to meet with KPMG, the audit cabinet entrusted with selecting candidates.

Having initially had doubts over the whether the bid was financially sound, KPMG have been assured of the capacity of his Chinese backers in investing in the club. The cabinet have also asked him to remain out of the media after initially giving an interview to RFI to unveil his bid.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50967375/c ... -takeover/

There is a different version of events here:

French soccer club to file complaint against Cambodia’s Prince Norodom Ravichak
The filing alleges “acts of forgery, use of forgery and attempted fraud.”
By Jack Adamović Davies
2021.11.08

The 100 million euro ($115 million) bank guarantee given by Cambodia’s Prince Norodom Ravichak in support of his bid to buy French soccer club Saint-Etienne was a forgery, club president Bernard Caiazzo told RFA on Monday.

“It took some time to figure out, but in the end, all the specialists said this document was a fake document,” Caiazzo said.

Ravichak’s attempted takeover of the club was the subject of what Caiazzo described as wildly inaccurate reporting in the press.

“They said he had 500 million euros. This is bullshit,” he told RFA.

Saint-Étienne’s current shareholders, who include club president Caiazzo, are now clearly eager to see Ravichak punished for what they allege was his attempt to defraud them.

The club president said Ravichak’s big promises for St. Etienne a couple of months ago had set alarm bells ringing.

“Normally, all the very serious [buyers], they don’t speak. They don’t speak because it’s not in their interest to speak,” Caiazzo said. “When I see people speaking in the media, most of the time it’s because they are not serious and they have not got the money.”

Full article: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambod ... 90433.html

CEOCambodiaNews wrote: ↑Tue Nov 09, 2021 4:12 pm There is a different version of events here:

French soccer club to file complaint against Cambodia’s Prince Norodom Ravichak
The filing alleges “acts of forgery, use of forgery and attempted fraud.”
By Jack Adamović Davies
2021.11.08

The 100 million euro ($115 million) bank guarantee given by Cambodia’s Prince Norodom Ravichak in support of his bid to buy French soccer club Saint-Etienne was a forgery, club president Bernard Caiazzo told RFA on Monday.

“It took some time to figure out, but in the end, all the specialists said this document was a fake document,” Caiazzo said.

Ravichak’s attempted takeover of the club was the subject of what Caiazzo described as wildly inaccurate reporting in the press.

“They said he had 500 million euros. This is bullshit,” he told RFA.

Saint-Étienne’s current shareholders, who include club president Caiazzo, are now clearly eager to see Ravichak punished for what they allege was his attempt to defraud them.

The club president said Ravichak’s big promises for St. Etienne a couple of months ago had set alarm bells ringing.

“Normally, all the very serious [buyers], they don’t speak. They don’t speak because it’s not in their interest to speak,” Caiazzo said. “When I see people speaking in the media, most of the time it’s because they are not serious and they have not got the money.”

Full article: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambod ... 90433.html