Bordeaux's future hinges on Gérard Lopez's €1 sale to Park Bench
Les Girondins de Bordeaux have been sold for a symbolic €1 after an agreement was signed on Wednesday morning between the company of Gérard Lopez and the Anglo‑American investment fund Park Bench, marking a major step for the club’s future.
Deal structure and debt reduction
The transaction includes a halving of the club’s debt from €26 million to €13 million and spreads repayments over 12 years instead of 10, with progressive instalments to match the finances of an amateur‑level structure. State authorities have also agreed to cut 50 percent of VAT, Urssaf and AGS liabilities.
Local media Sud Ouest and Ici Gironde report that the debt owed to the Fortress fund fell from €2.5 million to €1.6 million, while a settlement with former coach Vladimir Petković and his assistant reduced their severance claims to €1.9 million and €250 000 respectively, far below the roughly €15 million originally demanded.
Regulatory hurdles ahead
Although the sale averts immediate judicial liquidation, two mandatory steps remain before the rescue can be deemed official. First, the Bordeaux commercial court must endorse the legal modification of the activity‑continuation plan proposed by the new owners.
Second, the Ligue de Football Nouvelle‑Aquitaine must grant a financial “grand oral” approval, requiring Park Bench to present immediate banking guarantees to cover the revised 2026‑2027 budget and regularise staff salaries.
New owners' ambitions
Park Bench, backed by British investors Jérémy Green and James Bord and American Evan Sofer, is injecting €18 million with the aim of returning the club to the national level as soon as possible, potentially by next spring.
The fund already holds a majority stake in Scottish Championship side Dunfermline since January 2025 and owns shares in Spain’s Córdoba CF, both competing in second tiers. Dominique Delport, former Vivendi and Havas executive, will act as the club’s president and media liaison.
Gérard Lopez, who arrived at the Girondins in 2021, departs without any financial compensation, a move welcomed by the Bordeaux community and supporters of the FCBG.
continues to monitor the situation, noting that the club’s survival now depends on the upcoming tribunal and league approvals.