Unless there is a rebound, the Girondins Bordeaux club found its buyer on Tuesday in the person of Gérard Lopez, 49, the Spanish-Luxembourg businessman, former president of Lille, from 2017 to the end of 2020. After validation of his accounts by the DNCG in the coming days, Bordeaux should stay in Ligue 1.
“Following long discussions in recent days, an agreement was finally found between King Street, Fortress and Gérard Lopez validating the project carried by the latter, said FC Girondins de Bordeaux in a press release. The guarantees requested [à M. Lopez] by the Board of Directors were made. These latter elements met the expectations of Rothschild & Co, the club’s financial advisor, and of the ad hoc agent, thus avoiding the club’s placement in receivership, “the statement said, which underlines that” the recovery remains conditional on confirmation by the DNCG of the possibility for the club to continue its prestigious history in Ligue 1 ”.
Lopez must now provide guarantees to the Metropolis on the payment of the rent of the stadium (4.9 million euros per year) and will also have to convince the DNCG, the financial policeman of the Professional Football League, that his plan is viable. The former owner of the Lotus team in Formula 1 became president of Lille in January 2017, a club he led to the top places in Ligue 1, before being disembarked in December 2020 due to more debt. of 120 million euros vis-à-vis the investment fund Elliott Management.
The businessman who made his fortune in new technologies owns two other European clubs, Mouscron in Belgium and Boavista in Portugal.
This announcement was eagerly awaited by Girondins supporters, who feared above all the scenario of a judicial reorganization, which could lead to relegation to the amateur level. “We followed the file minute by minute … Spent sleepless nights … We trembled until the last minute … But we confirm the acquisition of the club by Gérard Lopez. And even though no one can predict the future, it’s a huge relief! Tweeted the Ultramarines, the club’s main group of supporters.
