Historic French club Bordeaux renounce their professional status & file for bankruptcy

Bordeaux have won six Ligue 1 titles in their history.

Amid all the eye-catching signings in the summer transfer window, historical French team Girondins de Bordeaux have officially confirmed that they have filed for bankruptcy. This will result in the club automatically losing its professional status.

Owing to their disastrous financial turmoil, the six-time French champions have informed the France Football Federation that they won’t be applying for a professional license in the next season. Bordeaux have held a professional status in the football pyramid since 1937.

In addition, the French club has terminated the contracts of all their players and closed their training centre in order to further reduce the financing needs. However, Bordeaux will still promote youth teams as they are working towards restructuring everything in order to get re-started as soon as possible.

During the 2023-24 season, Bordeaux endured one of the worst campaigns in their history, as they got relegated to the third tier of French football. Due to their complicated financial situation without a proper buyer in place, the club was pulled down to the lower tier of the pyramid.

At the start of the summer, Liverpool owners FSG (Fenway Sports Group) were in early talks for the potential acquisition of Bordeaux. However, those initial prospective discussions failed to materialise, as the deal eventually broke down.

A press release from Girondins de Bordeaux confirmed FSG pulling away from a potential buy, stating:

“While discussions had resumed in recent days, FSG representatives indicated yesterday, Monday, July 22, to Bordeaux and its shareholders their desire not to follow through despite the assurances provided by various stakeholders.”

“Therefore, in the absence of new elements, Bordeaux withdrew the appeal lodged against the decision of the DNCG. As a result, Bordeaux accepts the sanction of administrative demotion to the Championnat National for the 2024-2025 season and will be summoned again to present its budget to the DNCG.”

Girondins de Bordeaux’s rich history

Ever since its official establishment more than a century back in 1881, Girondins de Bordeaux have won six Ligue 1 titles and a solitary UEFA Intertoto Cup in their history, with their most recent league triumph coming during the 2008-09 campaign. The club has also been represented by superstar players such as French football legend Zinedine Zidane, who played four seasons for them in the mid-1990s.

The disheartening current status of such a prestigious club sent major shockwaves throughout the footballing fraternity. With no potential buyers in sight as of now, Girondins de Bordeaux are set to operate as a semi-professional club in the French football pyramid.

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