The future of the Girondins de Bordeaux continues to darken. Relegated to the National on July 9 for financial reasons by the DNCG, the club owned by Gérard Lopez had been in negotiations for several weeks with the Fenway Sports Group (FSG), owner of Liverpool. Bordeaux hoped to present itself with a viable buyout proposal for the DNCG appeal hearing on July 23 or 24 and avoid filing for bankruptcy. But the operation fell through on Tuesday.
The club and FSG announced in their respective press releases that no agreement had ultimately been reached despite “in-depth discussions”. “Fenway Sports Group has taken the decision not to pursue the acquisition of FC Girondins de Bordeaux,” the American group’s press release said. “We would like to express our gratitude to the President and members of the DNCG who gave us the opportunity to meet with them (…). Despite our disappointment at not having managed to find a viable solution, we wish the club and its supporters the best possible future.”
Club Press Release ????⚪️
FC Girondins de Bordeaux and its shareholder have been informed by Fenway Sports Group of its intention not to pursue the discussions initiated in recent weeks with a view to buying the club. This decision is explained in particular by the cost… pic.twitter.com/GH1sS0RpJ7
— FC Girondins de Bordeaux (@girondins) July 16, 2024
For its part, the Bordeaux club, 12th in Ligue 2 last season, justified this decision by “the significant cost of the stadium in the years to come”, but also by “the general economic context of French football”. “The club and its shareholder are now putting all their energy into finalizing a financing plan for the 2024/2025 season in view of the appeal hearing”, the press release concluded.
40 million euros before July 23
For the navy and white club to get the green light from football’s financial watchdog, 40 million euros must be injected into the club before July 23. This mission now falls to Gérard Lopez to avoid remaining in the National and a probable filing for bankruptcy.