Girondins de Bordeaux sold to Park Bench, DNCG validates budget, Sud Ouest says

Girondins de Bordeaux avoided judicial liquidation after English investment fund Park Bench acquired the club from Gérard Lopez for a symbolic euro, while the regional DNCG validated the team’s budget for the 2026–2027 season, Sud Ouest reported. Given the disastrous state of the Marine et Blanc’s finances, it is considered a small miracle that the club escaped liquidation entirely. Jérémy Green and his three associates, including James Bord and Evan Sofer, never abandoned the FCGB despite two completely chaotic final months, fulfilling their prior assertions. The club, which now plays in Régional 1 following a profound financial collapse, faces an immediate return to competition on October 17 against the reserve of Bayonne, carrying five matches to catch up.

Park Bench Pays 18 Million Euros to Purge Debts

The takeover agreement requires Park Bench to disburse roughly 18 million euros to purge the club’s long-term debts. According to reports from L’Équipe, this capital injection covers a renegotiated continuation plan spread over 12 years instead of 10, alongside reduced claims from the state, including a 50% cut on value-added tax exceeding 5 million euros and an identical reduction on 4.2 million euros owed to the URSSAF. Additional settlements address past creditors, including 1.5 million euros to Fortress and 1.9 million euros owed to former coach Vladimir Petkovic, as detailed by ici.fr.

Before finalizing the transaction late Tuesday night, Gérard Lopez pursued alternative negotiations with Chinese businessman Jiang Lizhang—owner of Granada CF and minority stakeholder in the Minnesota Wolves—as well as with a local collective backed by Saudi investors led by Benjamin Devienne, as outlined by L’Équipe. Lopez also attempted to retain between 10% and 15% equity with anti-dilution clauses in the Park Bench agreement, but the incoming ownership group rejected those demands, leaving Lopez to depart without capital retention, waived claims, and no right to a return to better fortune.

Financial Mismanagement Led Club to Sixth Tier

The descent into the sixth tier of French football follows years of financial mismanagement that began well before the club’s recent administration. Nicolas de Tavernost, former head of M6, discussed the 2018 sale of the team in an interview with Paris Match—given on the occasion of the release of his book La télé comme jamais published by Allary—noting that his group had maintained the club in a healthy, debt-free state for 19 years before selling to General American Capital Partners and its leader Joseph DaGrosa Jr. Tavernost cited the rising financial power of state-backed entities like Paris Saint-Germain and the volatility of football results for a publicly traded company as the primary drivers behind M6’s exit. While expressing regret over the subsequent governance under later owners, including Gérard Lopez, Tavernost stated: Évidemment qu’il y a un regret. Nous avons passé 19 ans à développer ce club. Il se trouve que l’affaire a été très mal gérée. On est mal tombés sur les acheteurs.

Rebuilding the Sporting Structure

Dominique Delport, representing Park Bench and slated to take over as club president, has opted to retain internal personnel alongside Jérémy Green, according to ici.fr. Front office negotiations are simultaneously advancing with former professional players, including forward Baptiste Guillaume and defender Namaroko Diallo, as the club prepares to construct a competitive squad from its current lower-league standing.