Nissan Can’t Stop Losing Money So Its Soccer Team Might Have To Go Too

Nissan has seen better days, so the company is making a number of cuts to help right the ship. While many of these efforts have focused on personnel and plants, the automaker is now said to be shopping around its soccer team.

More: Nissan Shuts Down One Of Its Most Historic Sites Amid Sweeping Cuts

Yes, you read that correctly, Nissan owns a stake in Yokohama F. Marinos. According to the team’s history, they were originally established in 1972 as Nissan’s in-house soccer club. Despite these humble beginnings, the team would win the Kanto League just four years later. These achievements would continue in the ensuing years, promoting the team to the big leagues.

From Factory Pitch To Big Stage

While that’s a cool footnote in Nissan’s history book, it appears that chapter is about to close. According to Nikkei, Nissan is looking at selling its roughly 75% stake in the team.

These discussions appear serious as the automaker has reportedly “approached several companies to explore transferring the club’s management rights.” One of the suitors is rumored to be a “major IT company” and a sale could come as early as next year.

The publication notes this is a significant reversal, as Carlos Ghosn had exempted sports from major cuts. However, Nissan’s situation has gotten worse, and the company posted a $4.5 (¥670.8) billion loss earlier this year. Reversing this requires drastic measures, and it appears that includes selling a piece of its history.

However, it can be argued that Nissan probably should have sold their stake earlier and focused on vehicles. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and sometimes sentimentality means more than money.

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