Girondins Bordeaux was relegated to the sixth division due to financial irregularities. Now, an application for reinstatement has been rejected by the French Football Federation (FFF), meaning the historic club faces the threat of bankruptcy.
World champions such as Zinedine Zidane, Bixente Lizarazu, and Didier Deschamps played for Girondins Bordeaux, and German professionals like Klaus Allofs, Manfred Kaltz, and Dieter Müller were also drawn to the famous wine town on the Garonne. The club, which is over 100 years old, has one of the largest fan bases in France; it has won the national championship six times and the cup four times, and reached the final of the former UEFA Cup in 1996. However, it lost that match to FC Bayern Munich (0–2; 1–3).
That was a long time ago; the present is bleak and could become even darker: Following a decision by the French Football Federation (FFF) on Thursday evening, the storied club now faces the threat of a permanent decline. The FFF’s Executive Committee (Comex) rejected Girondins’ reinstatement into the national leagues, meaning Bordeaux remains relegated to the sixth division, Regional 1.
Girondins Bordeaux had been forcibly relegated to that division in July by the National Control and Management Authority (DNCG) due to financial irregularities. The club did not accept the ruling, and pressure was also exerted by politicians and segments of the public. Even French Sports Minister Marina Ferrari intervened and submitted a request to the FFF asking whether Girondins Bordeaux could be admitted to Ligue National 2—France’s fourth-highest division. However, the federation stood firm and rejected the request.
“No detailed restructuring plan” and “superficial documentation”
According to L’Equipe, the FFF still has “no detailed restructuring plan” on file; there is even talk of “superficial documentation.” “The FFF is here to ensure fairness and equal treatment among clubs, whether large or small,” the federation is quoted as saying. “Readmitting Bordeaux would have been an arbitrary decision and would have signaled the end of the credibility of the independent DNCG as well as our regulations.”
For Girondins Bordeaux, the rejection of its readmission to the national league is another setback—and possibly a decisive one. This is because the club’s insolvency and the resulting threat of liquidation in court are now dangerously close.
