French Football Giants Bordeaux Relegated to Sixth Tier Due to Financial Irregularities
· Sports · Al Jazeera, Sportstar, NDTV Sports
Six-time French champions Bordeaux have been officially relegated to the sixth tier of French football by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine league following severe financial irregularities. The club failed to provide roughly 10 million euros for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 financial years and struggled with unpaid debt obligations. Last month, the historic club was sold for a symbolic one euro to US-based investment group Park Bench, which agreed to shoulder the remaining liabilities. The team will now undergo a major rebuild as a largely amateur squad under new club president Dominique Delport. The new owners are scheduled to appear before a commercial court on October 20 to ratify a 12-year continuation plan that halves the club's debt from 26 million to 13 million euros.
Why it matters
The demotion deals a devastating blow to one of France's most storied football institutions and the youth academy that produced legendary players like Zinedine Zidane, Bixente Lizarazu, and Christophe Dugarry.
Read the original report — Al Jazeera
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