  We show that the mod $\ell$ cohomology of any finite group of Lie type in
characteristic $p$ different from $\ell$ admits the structure of a module over
the mod $\ell$ cohomology of the free loop space of the classifying space $BG$
of the corresponding compact Lie group $G$, via ring and module structures
constructed from string topology, a la Chas-Sullivan. If a certain fundamental
class in the homology of the finite group of Lie type is non-trivial, then this
module structure becomes free of rank one, and provides a structured
isomorphism between the two cohomology rings equipped with the cup product, up
to a filtration.
  We verify the nontriviality of the fundamental class in a range of cases,
including all simply connected untwisted classical groups over the field of $q$
elements, with $q$ congruent to 1 mod $\ell$. We also show how to deal with
twistings and get rid of the congruence condition by replacing $BG$ by a
certain $\ell$-compact fixed point group depending on the order of $q$ mod
$\ell$, without changing the finite group. With this modification, we know of
no examples where the fundamental class is trivial, raising the possibility of
a general structural answer to an open question of Tezuka, who speculated about
the existence of an isomorphism between the two cohomology rings.
