Bordeaux is saved, the Girondins maintained in Ligue 1



Relief for Bordeaux football: the appeal committee of the DNCG, financial policeman of French football, has given the green light to the maintenance of FC Girondins in L1 for next season by approving the business man’s recovery plan Gerard Lopez. “The club is saved! (…) It’s a great day for the Girondins, and we will now get down to putting in place this sporting and economic project validated this evening, ”responded Gérard Lopez to the decision of the National Management Control Department (DNCG ).

This decision “is accompanied by measures to control the club’s payroll, as well as an obligation to sell players before any acquisition,” said the Spanish-Luxembourg businessman in a press release on Monday. evening.

“The decisions of the DNCG in terms of controlling the wage bill and the purchase and resale of players are in accordance with the model of sound management of the club that I presented today”, he continued, a few hours after his passage before the body which threatened him with an administrative demotion.

The Lille experience

On July 2, the Girondins had announced that they had been demoted as a precaution in Ligue 2 due to the withdrawal of the majority shareholder King Street after a first hearing before the DNCG. The club had appealed.

“We presented our project to save the club from relegation to the appeal committee, by providing the guarantees requested by the DNCG”, explained Gérard Lopez Monday before the announcement of the decision. “Our sporting and economic project, built with all the stakeholders, must make it possible to restore the financial balance, a necessary condition for the rescue of the club. “

Friday, Gérard Lopez had already succeeded in convincing the elected officials of Bordeaux Métropole, owner of the Matmut Atlantique stadium. The latter approved the guarantees provided by the 49-year-old businessman for the payment of the rent of the stadium, agreeing that the company Jogo Bonito Group, owned by Mr. Lopez, replace King Street for this annual payment of 4 , 9 million euros. “This substitution will remain conditional in particular on the finalization of the takeover process (validation by the DNCG then the commercial court among others)”, had warned Bordeaux Métropole.

Angers also saved

While the threat of legal redress loomed large at the end of June, the agreement reached with Lopez had relieved Girondins lovers, despite his mixed visit to Lille between January 2017 and December 2020. Its economic model – borrow a lot and at a high rate for buy the club to “trade” players acquired young and / or without transfer compensation before being sold to finance the loan – had then led to sell Losc in December 2020, despite good sporting results: he was unable to honor the debt borrowed from the Elliott Management investment fund (EUR 225 million). Gérard Lopez nevertheless responded in June to the expectations of the Rothschild investment bank, responsible for the sale of Girondins, with his personal resources (7 million euros) and the help of the Club Scapulaire, an association of 250 entrepreneurs who provided around 5 million euros.

The Lopez version FCGB then took shape on June 27, five days after the takeover announcement, when he appointed Admar Lopes technical director. Because after the administrative and financial aspect, Lopez will also be expected on the sporting side after a complicated season, finished in 12th place.

Many departures have already been recorded: Youssouf Sabaly, Jean-Michaël Seri, Vukasin Jovanovic, Hatem Ben Arfa, Nicolas de Préville and Maxime Poundjé.

On the arrivals side, the only final signature is that of midfielder Issouf Sissokho, while Davy Rouyard, Malcom Bokele and Tidiane Malkec have signed their first professional contract.

In the evening, the DNCG also decided to keep in L1, the Sco d’Angers, also demoted as a precaution in early July. “We are in Ligue 1”, welcomed the Angers SCO on the social network while its president Saïd Chabane wished a “Long life in league 1” to the Angevin club.





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