It was a little over two months ago, on May 21, 2022. Despite their victory in Brest (2-4), the Girondins played their last match in Ligue 1, in which they finished 20th and last. A place that relegated them to Ligue 2, after a season in hell. And it is therefore 67 days later that they will know if they have the right to evolve in this division this season. Their fate will be decided from 10:30 a.m. this Wednesday morning by the executive committee of the French Football Federation (FFF) which meets by videoconference. Its 14 members will examine the club’s appeal, end point (or not) of very long administrative procedures.
And the signals are rather green for the Girondins. Downgraded to National on June 14 by the DNCG, the financial policeman of French football, because of the state of its finances, and in particular the amount of its debt, the club has greatly improved its record since. The debt was reduced by 75%, from 53 million to 13.5 million euros, thanks in particular to the abandonment of part by American creditors King Street and Fortress. 24 million euros were also placed in receivership. These elements have been validated by the Commercial Court of Bordeaux. The club also received a check for 13 million euros from the English club Southampton for the transfer of their striker Sékou Mara.
Positive and negative precedents
Latest episode, the passage before the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) which gave, this Monday, a favorable opinion on the maintenance of the club in Ligue 2. An advisory opinion, but not necessarily followed by the FFF. Of the four previous ones, the FFF followed the recommendations of the CNOSF twice. In 2002, when the FFF authorized OGC Nice, coached by former Girondin Gernot Rohr, to play in Ligue 1. A case quite similar to that of the Girondins, with strong popular and local political support and above all financial guarantees arrived late. Ditto in 2014, when RC Lens had long waited for guarantees from its shareholder Hafiz Mammadov. On the other hand, the federation was twice against the opinion of the CNOSF, by demoting Strasbourg to CFA 2, in 2011, and Le Mans to DH in 2013.
Enough to convince the executive committee of the FFF? Its 14 members will therefore decide on Wednesday. At their head, the president of the federation, Noël Le Graët, who had not been very moved by the fate of the Girondins at the beginning of the month.. “It’s a shame for Bordeaux, but the risks that have been taken are a bit insane”, he said on July 7.
He had also qualified Gérald Lopez, of“financial acrobat”, in 2020 when the current Girondins boss was in charge of Lille. Among the other people who will decide the fate of the Girondins, he also has two presidents of Ligue 1 clubs, the Lyonnais Jean-Michel Aulas, and the Strasbourgeois Marc Keller, or even Laura Georges, former international and general secretary of the FFF. In the event of failure, the Girondin club will have no other choice but to continue its legal fight by filing a summary-freedom procedure with the Administrative Court, thus trying to avoid filing for bankruptcy.