Rescued and Re-registered, Girondins de Bordeaux Start Over in Régional 1

Girondins de Bordeaux will return to competition on October 16 in Régional 1, the sixth tier of French football, after the executive committee of the Ligue de Nouvelle-Aquitaine validated their registration on Thursday. A decision that ends months of uncertainty for a club that came close to disappearing.

The road has been long. Declared financially depleted in July, FCGB had been excluded from national competitions by the National Management Control Authority (DNCG). The club was subsequently purchased at the end of September by English investment fund Park Bench, through an agreement concluded with Gérard Lopez. This financial backing allowed the regional control commission of the League to issue a positive opinion on Tuesday, paving the way for final validation two days later.

In practical terms, Girondins will miss the first four matchdays of the season and make their entry in the fifth round on Friday, October 16, against Bayonne’s reserve team. On October 20, the Bordeaux commercial court is expected to finalize the club’s takeover and validate a new continuation plan, the final formal step before the matter is fully stabilized from a legal standpoint.

For a club founded in 1881, multiple French champions and winner of the UEFA Cup in 1996, landing in Régional 1 represents a historic fall. But after flirting with judicial liquidation, the prospect of a reconstruction — however long it may be — already constitutes a relief for supporters and club stakeholders.