Roger Rocher, football business pioneer in France with the presidency of the Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne

At a time when French professional football was struggling to develop, Roger Rocher, appointed president of the Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne (ASSE), was to revolutionize professional sport in France from 1961. In addition to his sporting successes with the club, in particular a European Champion Clubs’ Cup final in 1976, his numerous initiatives in the field of economic development have left their mark on French football. From that moment on, ASSE became part of modern football by becoming a sports entertainment company and the first professional sports entity to be considered a fully-fledged sports brand. Indeed, he is considered a pioneer in many areas, such as merchandising and sponsorship. His thirst for victory and innovation led to his downfall in 1982 with the revelation of the slush fund affair. Despite this setback, Rocher is considered one of the great architects of the economic and legal evolution of French professional sports clubs.