French club Bordeaux has announced that it is relinquishing its professional status after declaring bankruptcy.
In its somber announcement, the club stated that the court has granted their request to be relegated to the French National 1 amateur level while they begin restructuring and rebuilding.
“Following the confirmation of the DNCG’s decision to relegate FC Girondins de Bordeaux to National 1, the Club filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday with the Bordeaux Commercial Court in order to begin the necessary restructuring. As a result, the Commercial Court will soon order the opening of collective proceedings, which will automatically result in the loss of the Club’s professional status.”
The club also announced that the training ground will be closed, player contracts will be terminated, and they will continue to develop young talents to foster their return to the top tier of French football.
“Given the very short deadlines before the start of the National 1 season, the Club had to give up requesting the maintenance of its professional status. Failing this, it would have had to appear again before the DNCG with a budget that did not correspond to the future reality of the Club, potentially leading to additional heavy sanctions. This difficult decision anticipates an inevitable consequence of the restructuring process underway. If the training center closes, the Club will continue to promote youth teams.
The effort to be transparent with the French football authorities about the Club’s real situation in the coming days and weeks must, in particular, aim to limit the sporting consequences of this situation. The Club’s objective is to play in National 1 next season, allowing a quick return to the highest level with healthy finances and renewed ambition.”
Bordeaux, which has had legends like Zinedine Zidane as players and has won six Ligue 1 titles, most recently in the 2008-09 season, is regarded as one of France’s greatest clubs, having won around 20 professional trophies in its 142-year history.
