Bordeaux on the precipice after court rejects appeal
BORDEAUX: Six-time French champions stepped closer to extinction on Friday when a Paris court upheld the decision to bar them from playing in the fourth tier in the coming season.
Bordeaux finds itself on the brink of extinction after a Paris court rejected its appeal, leaving the six-time French champions relegated to the sixth tier of football. The Paris administrative court upheld the decision, preventing Bordeaux from competing in the fourth tier next season. The club's new financial viability arguments, presented by the lawyers for the over-indebted club's new owner, Sparta Capital, were deemed unsuccessful by the court.
Bordeaux faces financial insolvency, with the club required to pay approximately ten million euros ($11.6 million) for the 2025-2026 financial year and the 2026-2027 season, as well as ongoing debt payments. The rejection of their appeal by the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) further compounds the club's woes.
Bordeaux's future hangs in the balance, with liquidation looming if the new owners withdraw from the project. The club's lawyers warned that remaining in the sixth tier would result in the end of the takeover and its subsequent liquidation. Bordeaux, one of France's most celebrated clubs, has produced notable stars such as Zinedine Zidane, Bixente Lizarazu, and Christophe Dugarry, and has a rich history of success, including a World Cup-winning squad in 1998.
However, their recent struggles include relegation to Ligue 2 in 2022 and a temporary suspension of professional status in 2024, which stripped the club of its academy.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
