CNOSF advice seals Girondins de Bordeaux’s fall to Regional 1
While the Girondins de Bordeaux appealed for the Fédération française de football’s mercy, the Conseil national olympique et sportif français (CNOSF) delivered an advisory opinion that effectively confirmed the club’s exclusion from the national leagues and its drop to Régional 1, a stark contrast between hope and certainty.
En préconisant au FCGB d’observer la décision de la Direction nationale du contrôle de gestion (DNCG), the CNOSF recommended the club’s exclusion from the national championships, meaning relegation to Régional 1. This recommendation plunged the Girondins into deep desarroi, as the advisory left nothing optimistic for Bordeaux.
Ce samedi matin, the Girondins sounded the alarm, seeking the benevolence and understanding of the Fédération française de football. Their request was met with silence, as the federation did not intervene to alter the looming decision.
FFF stance on the CNOSF proposal
La Fédération française de football issued a communiqué stating, “La FFF prend acte de la proposition de conciliation du CNOSF… Elle invite la SA FCGB à s’en tenir à la décision contestée en estimant fondée l’appréciation portée sur la situation financière du club par la commission d’appel de la DNCG.” The statement makes clear that the federation aligns with the DNCG and CNOSF, leaving the SA FCGB to decide whether to contest the proposal.
In clear terms, the salvation of the Bordelais will not come from the federation, which willingly follows the DNCG’s assessment. The club therefore faces a path without institutional support.
Having exhausted all possible recourses with sport authorities, the Girondins are now likely to turn to the justice system to make their voice heard, as the club’s options within the sporting hierarchy have been depleted.
Liquidation risk and looming reality
Si la FFF devait suivre cette recommandation, it would end the history of a major French football club, one that gathered 26 000 supporters in May at the Stade Atlantique – a record for a N1/N2 encounter in France – and boasts a legacy as a sextuple champion of France. The communiqué warned that, deprived of competition, the club would head toward liquidation judiciaire despite guarantees meant to ensure continuity.
“Liquidation judiciaire” is now described as more than a threat; it is a looming prospect. In two weeks, the club is slated to resume its sporting activity in the sixth division, Régional 1, confirming the depth of its descent.
The recent sale of Gérard Lopez’s titles on 31 July to Sparta Capital, backed by a £10.6 million guarantee from a British investment fund, failed to alter the club’s trajectory, leaving the Girondins still facing exclusion and potential liquidation.