French term (edited): laisser sur le c�t�

More context would be useful...

Sur la côté !?
Sur la côte ?
De côté ?

Ces entreprises laissent de côté des milliers de PME. = These multinationals
neglect smaller companies.

PMI ? PME: Petites et moyennes entreprises?

TTE: Tites tites entreprises ... LOL

French term (edited): laisser sur la c�t�

but I'd see it not so much as a sporting event on a pitch/field/ground where people will watch from or be sent to the sidelines, but as a road race, a battle to get ahead on the road to progress and megabucks, where the little man gets thrown/pushed to the wayside, driven into the ditch, etc., depending on how aggressive a portrayal one wishes to give of the big players' tactics.

Or you could do it more literally. If these multinationals are not actually competing with the small fry but exploiting them as subcontractors and suppliers, say, then the common complaint is that they ruin thousands of small companies, drive them into bankruptcy (e.g. by obliging them to equip themselves with the latest plant, at great cost, then cutting the prices they are prepared to pay, or cancelling all contracts, etc.).

Then again, it could be that they ignore these small companies ...

Isn't context a marvellous thing? Without it, you can let your imagination run rampant.