Bordeaux’s long summer of uncertainty has finally broken at night. An agreement was completed between Gérard Lopez and English investment fund Park Bench, putting the future of the six-time French champions on a new path and steering them away from liquidation.
Lopez is set to sell his shares in the Girondins for the symbolic sum of €1. In return, he will abandon both his claims against the club and a clause that could have allowed him to recover funds should Bordeaux’s financial position improve.
Quick facts
- Park Bench has agreed to take control of Bordeaux from Gérard Lopez.
- The sale is based on a symbolic €1 transfer of Lopez’s shares.
- Club liabilities are expected to fall from €26 million to roughly €13 million.
- The continuation plan would run for 12 years rather than the previous 10.
- Bordeaux are provisionally expected to enter Regional 1, Pool B.
- The proposed first league fixture is away to Aviron Bayonnais’ reserve team on Sunday, 17 October at 3pm.
The takeover was concluded overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, before a deadline set by the commercial court. Without a deal, a request to terminate the club’s recovery plan could have been filed on Thursday, opening the way towards judicial liquidation.
Instead, the rescue package includes a restructuring of Bordeaux’s debt. Claims totalling €26 million should be reduced by around half, leaving approximately €13 million to be repaid over an extended 12-year period.
The agreement also provides for reductions in sums owed to public bodies. VAT liabilities of a little more than €5 million are due to be cut by 50%, while the same reduction applies to €4.2 million owed to URSSAF, France’s social security collection body.
Budget approval is the next hurdle
The change of ownership does not immediately settle Bordeaux’s competitive future. The club must first appear before the regional club-control commission of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Football League, which will examine the takeover and validate the 2026-27 budget.
After that assessment, the league’s governing group will decide Bordeaux’s division. The vote involves the 32 members of the LFNA executive committee, the 12 district presidents and the 20 candidates on LFNA president François Grenet’s list.
Regional 1, Pool B is the expected destination for the Marine et Blanc. Their planned opening match would take them to the Basque Country to face Aviron Bayonnais’ second team on 17 October.
Cormier faces squad limits
Coach Arnaud Cormier will have to rebuild within strict registration rules. Bordeaux can use only five federal contracts, despite still having 13 players under such deals, and may register only two players who were licensed at another club last season.
Several members of last season’s group could nevertheless remain. Defenders Ruben Droehnlé and Léo Jousselin, along with forwards Soufiane Bahassa and Steve Shamal, are among those being considered for continuity as Bordeaux prepare for another beginning.
