Élan Béarnais does not yet know what the verdict of the financial policeman of French basketball will be regarding its future, but its leaders are showing their serenity. “L’Élan will have a team in ProA next season“, assures the president David Bonnemason-Carrère, while David Otto, co-founder of CSG, present at the moment in Pau, returned at length to the extra-sporting situation of the club. club debt: not equivalent to three million euros, according to him, but a million, which the DNCCG asks to pay off, to which the Americans have committed. For the rest, a million in arrears payable over three years by the club, and as much for a loan taken out by CSG pending the fallout from the tokens, for which David Otto is not unduly worried.
Americans hope for a profit next season
Re the tokens precisely, they brought in 250,000 euros according to David Otto, knowing that commitments are made by new investors to the tune of 150,000 euros, but the operations are delayed by the banks because of the unprecedented nature of the procedure, still according to him. These participation tokens are the backbone of the CSG project for the club, he once again recalled: “The goal is not for CSG to open the checkbook to sign at all costs, that was never the idea and if one of my partners expressed it like that, he was wrong. The challenge is to set up a profitable model where the club makes money without depending on us or communities“. Unsubtle way of putting pressure on partners and supporters to contribute.
David Otto hopes, from next season, that the Elan will be able to generate 10% profit. For this next season, the club presented a lower budget, “reasonable and realistic” but despite everything ambitious according to the American leader. David Bonnemason-Carrère also specifies that l’Élan can, if it wishes, engage in BCLthe Basketball Champions League, but will only do so on the condition that the competition does not put a further strain on the club’s finances.
Last but not least, CSG has still not paid the town hall of Pau the 800,000 euros equivalent to the amount of the takeover of the club. “We don’t agree on the terms of the deal“, simply contented himself with evoking David Otto this Friday. He will seek to meet François Bayrou, in Pau or Paris, in the coming days.