In which division will Bordeaux play at the beginning of the school year? Girondin’s appeal, which was relegated sportingly to L2 in May and then administratively to National (Third Division) on June 14, will be examined on Tuesday (2:30 p.m.) by the federal DNCG.
It would be a Level 2, National or even Level 3 National (5th Division) – the level at which his reserve team develops – for a club with a shoulder blade that has had three weeks to prepare for that second oral before the Oversight Board’s Appeals Committee. to the French Football Federation.
Three weeks of fear and doubt during which the owner, Gerard Lopez, tried point by point to respond to DNCG notices that necessarily passed an agreement with its US creditors King Street and Fortress, who hold the club’s debts (52). million euros) and therefore its short-term future.
After many negotiations to find the 40 million euros necessary to get the green light from the financial constable and return to L2, he finally snatched this agreement last Friday according to his entourage, relieved.
“It was a roller coaster but signed‘, he had welcomed a close friend of the Spanish-Luxembourg businessman, has been really intangible in the final months in terms of football between his dismissal at the end of 2020 as Lille’s crowned president six months later, and his descent into the amateur world of Mouscron in Belgium, which He was the biggest shareholder in it, and the financial difficulties of Boavista, a Portuguese club in which he also owns shares.
The agreement in question relates primarily to income from the sale of Aurélien Tchouaméni from Monaco to Real Madrid (20% of the capital gains plus training rights, i.e. €8.3 million) which will remain in the club and not be used to repay the portion of the debt as wanted by the US lenders. The DNCG was inflexible on this point on June 14.
Certified by an auditor
As Lopez promised during his first test, he will put his hand in his pocket with 10 million euros in the form of a capital increase through his company Jogo Bonito, which, in addition, will restore the transfer of responsibility for half of the debt (26 million euros) owed to the two investment funds. proces “Certified by an auditorAccording to those around him.
Finally, Lopez and his creditors agreed to open a first demand bond credit line of €14 million to cover future sales during the summer transfer window. Girondins, who is hoping to recoup around €40m in sales from midfielder Junior Onana and strikers Hwang Ui-Go, Seko Mara and Albert Ellis, may not use that card.
Now let’s see if all of these new documents added to their file will eventually end up convincing the DNCG Appeals Committee to fish it out for L2, the first day of which is set to be July 30. If so, Bordeaux will have a budget of 40 million euros next season with 11 million euros in salaries and 12 new players expected.
If not, he would theoretically have the possibility to request a CNOSF but given the delay before examining their case—”Not before early August’,” according to a professional lawyer – we are likely heading towards filing for bankruptcy, followed by a judicial liquidation and a restart at National 3.
