Girondins Bordeaux is being returned to the amateurs due to the financial disarray at the club. After the relegation in Ligue 1, the six-time champion of France will not play in Ligue 2 next season, but due to the penalty at the third level in the Championnat de National 1. The DNCG (Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion), the financial watchdog of the French Football Association, pronounced that penalty on Tuesday. According to French media, Bordeaux has a debt of 40 to 45 million euros.
It is the next blow to Bordeaux after sporting relegation in the past Ligue 1 season. The club has also failed financially in recent years and it is now being punished for that. Les Girondins have seven days to appeal the decision. If this appeal is rejected, the team will indeed descend to the highest amateur level in France. In the past season, Javairô Dilrosun played on a rental basis for Bordeaux.
Bordeaux has traditionally been a big club in France, but in recent years the club has fallen further and further in the rankings, with last season as the low point. Bordeaux has won the national championship six times (most recently in 1992) and the French Cup four times. In the eighties, the club often took part in the major international tournaments. From the 1992/93 season, Zinedine Zidane, among others, was under contract with the club for four years. With internationals such as Wim Kieft, Richard Witschge and Stanley Menzo, the club also had Dutch lines in the past.
Watchdog DNCG also spoke out on Tuesday about the other clubs investigated. Lille OSC and Saint-Étienne passed the inspection without any problems. The latter club was relegated from Ligue 1 last season and is likely to be taken over. Two clubs that play at the second level also did well: supporters of Amiens SC and Caen no longer have to fear a penalty.
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