Zidane's sports complex blocked by two legal challenges

Zinedine Zidane’s Z5 sports complex project is now suspended pending a court decision. The Agricultural Land Protection Collective of Ruthénois has filed two appeals with the Toulouse administrative court to try to block the construction planned in Onet-le-Château, in Aveyron.

The former French international wants to develop nine padel courts, a small football pitch and a restaurant on approximately two hectares. The heart of the dispute concerns the land’s status: classified as agricultural when sold to Zidane, it subsequently received a building permit granted by the municipality, which opponents contest by invoking a “manifest error of judgment” by the mayor, particularly regarding the permit issuance date.

A first appeal was filed as early as November 2025 with the Aveyron prefecture, which rejected it. The challengers then brought the matter before the administrative court, multiplying appeals to have the building authorization annulled.

Facing this opposition, the Onet-le-Château municipality is defending the project, highlighting its social and educational interest: time slots would be reserved for schools and the complex would welcome young people from priority neighborhoods. The matter now rests with the administrative courts, whose decision will determine whether construction can proceed.