FFF confirms Girondins de Bordeaux exclusion, relegated to Régional 1

The French Football Federation’s executive committee (Comex) definitively closed the door on Girondins de Bordeaux on Thursday, refusing to reopen the file of a club excluded from national championships since the initial decision by the National Financial Control Board (DNCG) in mid-July. FCGB is now condemned to compete in Régional 1, the sixth tier of French football, whose season officially began last weekend.

The decision comes despite a direct intervention by Sports Minister Marina Ferrari, who had contacted FFF president Philippe Diallo this week to reconsider the case. The club’s new investors, backed by the president of the Gironde District, Alexandre Gougnard, had also obtained a meeting with Comex. It was not enough to sway the position of the 27 members of the body, who sided with the DNCG’s initial opinion.

To justify its refusal to act, the FFF relied on a legal opinion from law firm Gide, according to which “no secure pathway in federal regulations existed to reopen the file.” This stance had already been adopted by the French National Olympic Committee (CNOSF) and the Paris administrative court.

The federation was keen to defend the independence of its financial control body. “The FFF is there to ensure fairness and equal treatment between clubs, whether big or small,” the federation insisted. “Reintegrating Bordeaux would have been arbitrary and would have meant the end of the credibility of the DNCG, which is independent, and of our regulations.” The FFF also indicated it currently only has “light documentation” concerning the new shareholders’ takeover plan, adding that “many lies have been told in this case.”

Founded in 1881 and five-time French champions, Girondins de Bordeaux are thus beginning a rebuild at amateur level, with no clear visibility on the financial guarantees their new owners are able to provide.