Six-time French champions Bordeaux have been relegated to the sixth tier of French football for the upcoming season, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine league confirmed on Thursday. The sanction stems from financial irregularities identified earlier in the summer, specifically the club’s failure to provide approximately 10 million euros ($11.6m) required for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 financial years and to settle outstanding debts.
The decision follows a hearing before the league’s oversight commission, which reviewed the club’s recovery budget and issued a favorable opinion regarding their participation in Regional 1, the top level of that regional division. Commissioners unanimously approved the placement.
Dominique Delport, the newly appointed president selected by Park Bench, the US-based investment group that acquired the club last month for a symbolic one euro, told the AFP news agency, “Rebuilding can now begin.” Park Bench has agreed to assume the club’s remaining debts as part of the acquisition deal.
Despite the severe relegation, the club’s new ownership is moving forward with a structured turnaround. Representatives are scheduled to appear before commercial court on October 20 to ratify a new continuation plan spanning 12 years. This agreement effectively halves the club’s debt burden from 26 million euros to 13 million euros.
Bordeaux, once a powerhouse in French football and the team where current national head coach Zinedine Zidane established his career, has seen a steep decline. The club was relegated to Ligue 2 in 2022 and subsequently placed under judicial restructuring in 2024. That process forced the relinquishment of professional status and the loss of its highly regarded youth academy.
The squad will be predominantly amateur, though regulations allow the club to field five professionals. One of these roster spots is expected to be filled by former Ligue 1 striker Baptiste Guillaume.
The drop to the sixth tier represents a dramatic fall for a club that produced several icons of French football, including academy graduates Bixente Lizarazu and Christophe Dugarry, who featured in the 1998 World Cup-winning squad. Decades earlier, legends such as Alain Giresse and Jean Tigana anchored the midfield that secured the 1984 European Championship title.
Five pros on an amateur squad… that’s going to be a weird season. Can Bordeaux even compete at that level?
RIP to the glory days. I only hope the new 12-year plan actually sticks this time around.
Sixth tier? Doesn’t the financial fair play system fail massively when clubs like this are allowed to collapse so badly?
I still can’t get over Zidane playing for them back in the day. The contrast between then and now is staggering.
Park Bench buying it for a euro is bold. Let’s see if this new ownership can actually deliver on their promise.
Unbelievable. A club with that much history dropping this low just makes my heart sink for the fans.