Six-time French champions Bordeaux will play in the sixth tier of French football this season after being punished over the summer for financial violations. The news was confirmed by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine regional federation on Thursday.
Bordeaux were sanctioned for failing to meet a requirement of about 10 million euros (roughly 11.6 million USD) needed for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons, and for being unable to pay off their debts.
Once one of France's leading clubs and the starting point of new national team head coach Zinedine Zidane's career, Bordeaux was sold last month to US-based investment group Park Bench for a symbolic one euro. The group agreed to take on the remaining debt.
Two days after appearing before the Nouvelle-Aquitaine federation's oversight committee, the body approved the recovery budget and issued a "positive opinion on the possibility of participating in Regional 1," with the club unanimously cleared to compete in the top regional division.
"Now the rebuilding process can begin," Dominique Delport, the new chairman appointed by Park Bench, told AFP.
The new owners are expected to appear before a commercial court on October 20 to approve a new 12-year continuation plan, with debt halved from 26 million euros to 13 million euros.
The squad is made up mostly of amateur players, though the club is allowed to register five players on professional contracts, including former Ligue 1 striker Baptiste Guillaume.
Bordeaux has produced many of French football's biggest names, including academy graduates Bixente Lizarazu and Christophe Dugarry, who won the 1998 World Cup alongside Zidane. More than a decade earlier, Alain Giresse and Jean Tigana were members of the famed France midfield that won EURO 1984.
However, the club was relegated to Ligue 2 in 2022 and entered judicial restructuring in 2024, costing them their professional status along with their highly regarded academy.
