The relegation of the Girondins de Bordeaux to Ligue 2 was already almost done on the evening of the penultimate day. However, the formalization arouses strong reactions among former players of the Navy and White, this Sunday. All testify to their sadness and acknowledge having been surprised by such a descent into hell for the club this season. The Girondins of Bordeaux played in Ligue 1 for 30 years and the last descent to the lower echelon was in the 1990-91 season.
For a long time this season, I was sick at heart and afraid that the team would go down to Ligue 2 – Cheick Diabaté, former Girondins de Bordeaux striker (2008-2016)
In its history, the club has only evolved eight seasons in the second division. “Bordeaux is not a Ligue 2 team, that’s for sure. For me, it was unimaginable to see the club in this situation“, laments Cheick Diabate. The Malian striker played six seasons in Gironde and is one of the players who have marked the recent history of Marine et Blanc. First on the sporting level thanks to this French Cup won in 2013 where he scored twice, including the winning goal a few minutes from the final whistle. Then on the emotional level because the striker proved that he had great human qualities, through various interviews, and that he was strongly linked to this club which has completed its training. “For a long time this season, I was sick at heart and afraid that the team would go down to Ligue 2″, adds Cheick Diabaté.
“It’s completely normal for Bordeaux to find themselves there”
Marius Treasure is he too very affected by this situation:I feel deep sadness because I didn’t think it could happen to the Girondins de Bordeaux.“One of Bordeaux’s most emblematic defenders (1980-1984) has shown relentless lucidity this season”catastrophic which makes it completely normal for Bordeaux to find itself there. Despite the opportunities to get out of it, it was not taken into account by the players and it’s a shame“.
The management must think carefully about what they want to do with this club – Pedro Miguel Pauleta, former Bordeaux striker (2000-2003)
Lamine Sanealso a former Bordeaux defender (2008-2016), brings a touch ofempathy among all the testimonies of disappointment that we have been able to collect: “I also put myself in the shoes of the players because it’s not easy for them either. When you’re on the other side of the screen, you have a lot to say, but when you’re on the pitch, it’s difficult.“The former Senegalese international is struggling with this situation, especially since he was trained in Lormont and then in Bordeaux.
You have to change 90% of things in this club – Lassina Diabaté, former Bordeaux midfielder (1997-2001)
The importance of returning quickly to Ligue 1
Like many monuments of French football before them (Nantes, Reims), the Girondins de Bordeaux are preparing to go through a complicated period, which does not correspond “to what club, this city and this region deserve. I hope they will quickly go back to Ligue 1“, loose a Pedro Miguel Pauleta disillusioned. The Aigle des Azores and Bordeaux striker for three seasons (2000-2003) has never forgotten the club that revealed him at the start of the century. The Portuguese, who played in the UEFA Cup with Bordeaux, is “sad” but ensures that the Marines and Whites must think about the project to carry out in Ligue 2 : “The management must think carefully about what it wants to do with this club. Ligue 2 is not easy so you have to recruit well to come back quickly.“
– PHOTOPQR/SOUTH WEST
Just like Pauleta and even Marius Trésor, Lassina Diabaté (1997-2001) does not hide his sadness but he relativizes as for the situation of the Girondins de Bordeaux: “We know that in football, there are complicated periods and we must learn the necessary lessons to get this club back on track. We need to change 90% of things in this club, we need a new era to give this beautiful region the football it deserves.“The former defensive midfielder even speaks of the club as a”heritage that belongs to all Bordeaux residents but also to former players“.
Everyone wants a quick return to the top flight so as not to get bogged down and vegetate in Ligue 2 and they point the example of Toulouse. The TFC has succeeded in validating its rise in Ligue 1 this season, two years after its relegation. The Violets relied on a bold recruitment and club overhaul. But between theory and practice, there is often a world.