The Girondins de Bordeaux, sportingly relegated to Ligue 2 at the end of the 2021-2022 season, were sanctioned with an administrative demotion to the lower level in National 1, the equivalent of the third division, announced Tuesday the Professional Football League.
The LFP made this decision public, subject to appeal, after the financial examination of the Girondin club by the National Directorate of Control and Management (DNCG). The club, owned by businessman Gerard Lopez, has seven days to appeal from the day after it was notified of the decision.
Cascading setbacks
Bordeaux is plagued by recurring financial difficulties and has not been able to reassure the DNCG, the financial watchdog of the French League. These setbacks are added to a catastrophic sports season, ending in last place in Ligue 1, with an unprecedented relegation since 1991-1992.
These developments come a year after the arrival of Gerard Lopez at the head of the Girondins. The Spanish-Luxembourgish leader landed in the summer of 2021 as a savior at the head of the Bordeaux club, despite a blurred image, in particular by the end of his Lille period – he had been ousted from LOSC for financial problems.
Chance of the calendar, the League announced Tuesday that the DNCG had not taken “no measure” against the Lille club.