• Mercury/13 plans to invest US$100m in numerous women’s soccer teams
• Lewes give their men’s and women’s outfits equal budgets

Lewes FC have mutually ended talks with Mercury/13 over a potential investment as the proposed funding would have only been funneled towards the club’s women’s team.

In August, it was announced that Mercury/13, a group founded by Victoire Cogevina Reynal, had entered an exclusivity negotiating period to invest in the English club, which has a team in the second-tier Women’s Championship. Fan-owned outfit Lewes would have become the first of several women’s teams the group plans to acquire controlling stakes in across Europe and Latin America.

The company, whose backers include former England international Eniola Aluko, ex-Paris Saint Germain goalkeeper Arianna Criscione and former Fifa chief innovation officer Luis Vicente, is planning to invest US$100 million over the next few years and build a multi-club network of women’s soccer teams.

The deal had gained provisional approval from Lewes’ 2,573 owners, with 67.8 per cent backing the proposed investment in a vote held last month. However, several fans voiced their opposition to the agreement, with many also choosing to abstain from the poll.

In a statement confirming talks have now ended, the club noted that Mercury/13’s intention to solely invest in its women’s team would ‘pose a disruption far too big to Lewes FC’s foundation’.

As well as having a women’s outfit, the club also operates a men’s team, which plays in the English seventh division. It is one of the few clubs in the world to have an equal budget for both squads.

“Lewes FC is a club that has always had community and social impact at its core,” said Maggie Murphy, Lewes FC chief executive.

“Through our discussions, we found that whilst we shared a common belief in the future growth prospects of women’s football, the structure needed to make this specific opportunity work would be too disruptive to other values that we hold dear.

“We are committed, as always, to identifying other opportunities for investment that can help us realise our full potential on and off the pitch. We remain a club with the vision, heart, and passion that we know can impact the wider football ecosystem for the better.”

Cogevina Reynal added: “The leadership team at Lewes FC have been incredibly professional, diligent, and provided thorough documentation throughout our investment process. Lewes is a pioneer in its approach to equality, and we firmly believe the club should continue to protect these principles.

“This decision does not in any way diminish our shared commitment to fostering equity and progress in women’s football.”