In mid-June, the DNCG sanctioned the club, bottom of Ligue 1 last season, with administrative relegation to the third division.
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It’s the end of an unbreathable summer for the Marines and Whites. After a month and a half long soap opera, the Girondins de Bordeaux are finally admitted to Ligue 2, announced the French Football Federation (FFF) on Wednesday July 27. They had however been relegated to National 1 by the National Directorate of Control and Management (DNCG), due to poor financial health.
After the favorable opinion issued by the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF), the executive committee of the FFF drafted the club. In the press release announcing the decision, the body specifies that it has asked the DNCG to summon the club’s leaders to “judge any immediate follow-up and control measures against him” and summoned him to exercise a “reinforced and regular financial control of the club”.
Between the announcement of the administrative relegation on appeal and this back-pedalling, several elements tipped the balance. The club’s debt of 53 million euros has been reduced by 75% after an agreement with American creditors King Street and Fortress.
President Gérard Lopez has also sequestered 24 million euros (10 in capital increase via the company Jogo Bonito and 14 in player sales). This last objective was partly achieved, since the young Sékou Mara signed up for Southampton against 13 million euros (bonus included).
This rescue plan was validated by the Bordeaux Commercial Court on July 19. Six days later, the CNOSF pleaded for the club’s reinstatement in Ligue 2. This advisory opinion was followed by the FFF.
Two months after their sporting relegation to L2, the Girondins can – finally – project themselves into the coming season, while the first match is scheduled for Saturday, against Valenciennes at 7 p.m. For the time being, no postponement has been officially announced.