It’s the end of a long suspense for the Girondins de Bordeaux. This Tuesday, the appeal commission of the DNCG, the National Directorate of Management Control confirmed the sanction taken in first instance on June 14th. In the afternoon, the leaders of the club had been heard on appeal by the financial policeman of football, hosted by the French Football Federation.
A hearing started at 2:30 p.m. and which lasted almost two hours. Gérard Lopez, in a white shirt and sneakers, then left the Federation in the company of his lawyer Laurent Cotret, adviser James Stevens, Thomas Jacquemier, general manager of the Girondins, and Fortress lawyer Hervé Diogo.
Gérard Lopez’s plan did not convince
Gérard Lopez claimed, however, to have found the 22 million euros necessary to convince the financial policeman of football, by concluding an agreement with the creditors of the club, Americans King Street and Fortress. The latter agreed to give up the income generated by the transfers of the former Girondin Aurélien Tchouaméni. They were to go straight into the club’s pockets and not be used for debt repayment.
In 2020, the club sold its player to Monaco for 20 million euros. Aurélien Tchouaméni was transferred to Real Madrid last month for five more times. As the former owner, Bordeaux is interest in the capital gain of 8.5 million euros.
Gérard Lopez also drew on his own funds, up to 10 million euros. And he had transferred half of the Girondins’ debt to one of his companies. Lastly, Fortress had opened an additional obligatory line of credit of 14 million euros in anticipation of the future player sales.
A possible bankruptcy filing
The Girondins would consider a last attempt to stay in Ligue 2 : seize the “civil” justice, in this case the administrative court in summary proceedings, hoping for a favorable decision which would allow them to be ready for the kick-off of the Ligue 2 championship, on July 30.
In the event that this last step would not succeed, the club would most likely be forced to file for bankruptcy with the Commercial Court. The club will once again become an amateur structure, and will have to dismiss all employees (they are about 260 counting the players). These will no longer be bound by contract with the club, therefore free to link up with another team. And the professional women’s football team will disappear.
24 days after its sporting relegation, Bordeaux was administratively downgraded to National by the DNCG on June 14. A decision taken after studying the accounts. At the end of the 2021-2022 season, the Girondins de Bordeaux were bottom of the Ligue 1 standings.