On Wednesday 27 July, the executive board of the FFF took a decision. The Girondins de Bordeaux, 's club, have been maintained in Ligue 2. A relegation to National 1 would undoubtedly have meant the death of a mythical club in France.
After being relegated to Ligue 2, the second national division, at the end of the last French Championship, the Girondins de Bordeaux were then demoted once again by the DNCG, the financial watchdog of French football, this time to National 1. This decision, taken in particular in view of the debts owed, was strongly contested by the club's president, the Spanish-Luxembourg businessman Lopez.
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After obtaining a favourable opinion from the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF)--an advisory opinion only--concerning his rescue plan, as well as from the Bordeaux Commercial Court, Lopez can savour his victory.
The FFF, meeting in an extraordinary committee three days before the start of the season, has decided to follow the CNOSF's advice by "confirming the club's current and future financial solidity and its full capacity to participate in the Ligue 2 championship", according to an official statement from the club.
"We welcome this decision which is a huge relief for the club, our players, as well as for our 300 employees, partners and supporters who have continued to believe in our project and our determination to defend it. We have fought with all the friends and supporters of the club for a sporting and economic project that will allow FCGB to write a new page in its history on a sound basis. Our objective is now clear: to return to Ligue 1 as quickly as possible. We're going to go for it," wrote Thomas Jacquemier, the club's deputy general manager, in a press release posted on Twitter.
This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.