From Ligue 1 to National, chronicle of a descent into hell

Chronicle of a fall. The Girondins de Bordeaux have been administratively demoted to National by the National Management Control Directorate (DNCG) after they abandoned their appeal against the initial decision on Tuesday 23 July. They even fear a possible liquidation of the club if owner Gérard Lopez fails to raise enough funds to break into the third division of French football. The Bordeaux club, which has nevertheless played 69 seasons in the French elite, now sees its future written in dotted lines.

July 27, 2018: The Girondins come under the American flag

The starting point of this fall into hell was on July 27, 2018, when M6, owner of the club since 1999, decided to sell the Girondins de Bordeaux due to poor sporting and especially economic results. An American investment fund, General American Capital Partners (GACP), backed by the powerful King Street, took over the club, but only for a short period, only applications based on financial interest.

A year later, the Girondins de Bordeaux ended the 2018-19 season with two managerial changes during the season and a 14th place, their worst ranking since 2005. The following two seasons, the Bordeaux team finished 12th, despite some financial efforts from the American owners, who recruited Rémi Oudin, Laurent Koscielny and Mexer. But the Covid-19 crisis would definitively bury the ambitions of the American fund, which, in addition to launching an austerity policy to reduce the deficit, announced on April 22, 2021 that it “no longer wants to support the club and finance its current and future needs”The Girondins are then placed under the protection of the commercial court, with a deficit of approximately 67 million euros.

July 23, 2021: Gérard Lopez buys the club at the last minute

This decision led to a first administrative relegation to Ligue 2 by the DNCG, pending the study of the six takeover projects. The club then appealed and was granted an additional period to give Gérad Lopez, former manager of Lille and the Lotus Formula 1 team, time to complete his takeover. The Girondins de Bordeaux still remain under supervision in terms of salaries and transfers. The Spanish-Luxembourgish entrepreneur assures that he is aiming for the top of the rankings within three seasons, or even European places, as he announced Southwest.

May 21, 2022: Girondins relegated to Ligue 2

The project in Bordeaux is not going entirely as planned and the 2021-2022 season even threatens to be disastrous. The Girondins conceded 91 goals in 38 games, the worst total for a first division club since 1978. They logically finished 20th and last in Ligue 1 and were relegated for the first time since 1991. During this nightmare season, the club will even 44 years unbeaten in a row against Olympique Marseille at home after a 0-1 defeat.

June 14, 2022: DNCG sends the club to National for the first time

In addition to the sports rankings, the National Directorate of Management Control of French football even decided to administratively demote the Girondins de Bordeaux to the National, due to a debt estimated at 52 million euros. Despite several financial maneuvers to convince the financial policeman to remain in Ligue 2, the body upheld its decision on July 5.

The club was already on the verge of disappearing.a financial situation that is too critical and could lead to a cessation of payments from July 2022. On the verge of bankruptcy, and therefore relegation of the club to National 3, Gérard Lopez is appealed to the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) and won the case, notably after the sale of young striker Sékou Mara for 13 million euros to Southampton. The DNCG will still order the regulation of the wage bill and transfer fees, which will jeopardize the arrival of the nine recruits announced by the president.

June 2, 2023: Bordeaux miss out on promotion to Ligue 1 after incident against Rodez

In Ligue 2 with a salary that went from 30 million to 11 million euros in the summer, the Girondins de Bordeaux managed to perform despite a very complicated extra-sporting context. At the end of the season, the club was even well positioned to return to the elite with a final match against Rodez to confirm or not its rise. But an individual present in the stands of the Matmut Atlantique this evening of June 2, 2023 physically attacked Lucas Buades, RAF striker who had just opened the scoring, leading to the definitive end of the match.

The Professional Football League’s disciplinary committee punishes the Bordeaux team for losing the match on a penalty, ending their hopes of returning to Ligue 1. This time, the appeal to the CNOSF changes nothing. Gérard Lopez is even forced to bail out the club’s coffers, which are 40 million euros in debt, to ensure the club’s future in Ligue 2.

July 9, 2024: New financial downgrade and fear of disappearance

A year later, the Girondins de Bordeaux still have a 40 million euro hole in their accounts and are doing even worse on the sporting front, having finished 13th in Ligue 2 at the end of the 2023-24 season, after having secured their survival two days before the end of the season. The DNCG once again decides on an administrative relegation to National, due to lack of financial guarantees. The Bordeaux club is appealing this decision, hoping to gain time to finalise the takeover by the American group Fenway Sports Group. On July 16, Liverpool’s ownership group finally announced that they were withdrawing from negotiations.

Gérard Lopez then confides that the Girondins are in Bordeaux “a critical situation” and raises the possibility of a “liquidation” and therefore of a “club disappearance”. While you maintain “do everything to avoid it”even if he does not want to reinvest to fill the 42 million euros (excluding transfers) needed to return to Ligue 2. The other scenarios on the table range from a “last minute partner” be able to buy the club from sporting relegation (why not to National 2) so that they can start again on a healthier basis.

July 23: Bordeaux withdraws appeal to DNCG and accepts relegation to National 1

While the club was due to have its appeal heard by the DNCG on Tuesday 23 July, it announced in a press release that it had withdrawn its appeal due to “the lack of new elements”Talks with Fenway Sports Group had resumed, but were halted again the day before.

“Consequently, FC Girondins de Bordeaux accepts the sanction of administrative relegation within the National 1 championship for the 2024-2025 season and will once again be called upon to present its budget to the DNCG”is stated in the club’s press release.