Park Bench fund set to buy Girondins de Bordeaux for symbolic one euro

Investment fund Park Bench is reportedly on the verge of taking over Girondins de Bordeaux, a club excluded from all national championships since early September due to catastrophic finances. According to regional newspaper Sud-Ouest, representatives of both parties informed the Bordeaux commercial court as early as Wednesday that an agreement had been reached with shareholder Gérard Lopez, although all documents necessary for its approval have not yet been submitted.

Concrètement, Gérard Lopez is expected to cede his shares for a symbolic one euro, renouncing his claims and his clause for a return to better fortune. The continuation plan, initially planned for ten years, would be extended to twelve years, while the amount of claims would be halved, dropping from twenty-six to thirteen million euros.

Two other cases inherited from Lopez’s presidency would also find a resolution. Severance payments owed to former Switzerland national team coach Vladimir Petkovic and his assistant, dating from February 2022, would be subject to an agreement revised significantly downward.

If the commercial court validates the agreement, Girondins would restart in Régional 1, the sixth tier of French football. One final hurdle would remain, however: the 2026-2027 season budget must be approved by the regional club control commission before the club can return to the pitch.