It’s yet another episode in this soap opera that never ceases to shake up the spans of Aguiléra: the Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque (BOPB) announces this Thursday, January 13, on its Facebook page: “While we proposed to initiate the studies necessary for the realization of the Aguiléra project (stadium + training center + lawn) in June 2022 on the basis of public/private financing 50/50, the city of Biarritz cancels our agreement. without reason and without alternative“. Reached by telephone, the president of the club, Jean-Baptiste Aldigé says he is overwhelmed by the city’s setbacks.
–
A modified agreement
The main shareholder owner of the club, Louis-Vincent Gave, had asked the city to communicate at Christmas on the start date of the work. A videoconference interview took place at the request of the mayor, Maider Arostéguy, during which the town hall announced a modification of the initial project: instead of a public-private partnership on an envelope of 30 million euros , each party would separately commit 15 million euros, a substantial modification of the initial agreement, according to the president of the BOPB, Jean-Baptiste Aldigé.
A version not shared by Maider Arostéguy, the mayor of the town who recalls that it is a “very fine working process” between private and public. She is surprised by the communication of the Société Anonyme Sportive Professionnelle (SASP) of the BOPB. According to her, the BOPB can very well file authorizations on its side, to start the work as soon as possible. The city for its part would build the training center, without guaranteeing the SASP. She also talks about “sums of money”. “We are talking about 15 million euros (…) it is a full year of investments by the City of Biarritz“.
– Stephane Garcia
An intervention at the training center
Among the attachment points, the club asks the town hall to intervene with the BO association, with whom relations are not looking good. In an interview with Sud-Ouest, the president of the BOPB had confirmed that he wanted to recover the management of the club’s training center. Maider Arostéguy for his part refuses to play the intermediary and specifies: “the club asks us to manufacture its factory to manufacture its products and we cannot make a check to build, without guarantee, without conditions of security that the production will remain on the territory. We need guarantees“.
Speaking of warranties, the club also asked the town hall to vouch for part of its loan for the work at Aguilera if necessary. The town hall believes that this is legally impossible. The club claims the opposite and stresses that there is no question of leaving. On the other hand, without a renovated stadium, the BOPB could find itself at the level of a club with a budget of 5 million euros, bottom of the table of Pro D2 indicates Jean-Baptiste Aldigé.