He attacked the town hall, potential investors, football institutions, suggesting that the Tours FC disturbs. In short, he did Jean-Marc Ettori. Except that it appeared worn and a bit defeatist, on the club’s YouTube channel, Tuesday April 30. Which contrasts with what he had been able to reveal until then. For a little over half an hour, the owner took stock of the situation of the club, which has an appointment with the commercial court on May 7, with a view to a possible bankruptcy filing. As he had already done on Saturday, he wanted to prepare people’s minds: Tours FC is on the edge of the precipice.
“I would be a liar if I told you that you shouldn’t worry. I prefer to tell you, I am very worried”, admits Jean-Marc Ettori. He recalls this FIFA delays training compensation what a club receives when one of its former professional players is transferred. “For 10 months, we are supposed to receive 430,000 euros.” However, still nothing.
Cash flow problems poorly perceived by the legal representative
The Corsican businessman also says he is expecting a six-figure amount from the State, as part of the “whatever it costs”, during Covid-19, a check for 50,000 euros that Marco Simone, one of the former coaches, is supposed to reimburse him, and 80,000 euros from Paul Pogba, in a strange agreement made with him so that his brother Mathias signed with Tours FC in 2018. He claims to have alerted FIFA, the French Football Federation and the Ministry of the Economy, in the hope of moving the lines. And time is running out. If nothing is paid by May 7, what financial guarantees can be provided to justice? That’s the whole problem.
Because since 2022, the club has been under surveillance. Placed in receivership, he has until 2032 to pay off all of his debtsestimated at “2 million euros” by Jean-Marc Ettori, currently. The slightest misstep can be costly. And precisely, given the cash flow problems caused, according to the owner, by the money owed which is not paid to Tours FC, the club found itself unable to pay salaries for the month of March – even if it is in the process of being absorbed -, to repay current debts and debts from the legal recovery plan. “The non-payment of certain creditors meant that the legal representative deemed it useful to request the liquidation of Tours FC”laments Jean-Marc Ettori, who seems to have forgotten the idea of being able to sell.
“I’m selling the club for one euro”
“I am not selling, I am selling the club for one euro, and I am simply asking the people who will take over the club to pay the debts for the next eight years”, he declares, tired of dragging negotiations with a Swiss investor and his representatives. Started a year ago, discussions have cooled recently. “From one day to the next, no one responds anymore. We are told that we had hidden things from them, but they signed letters of interest, in which all the turpitudes of the club, all the debts and the monthly budget are mentioned . It was signed and stamped by them. They can’t say they didn’t know.”
No doubt they want to wait for the decision of the commercial court to know which foot to dance on. Who wouldn’t? At any rate, if the bankruptcy filing is declared by the courts, Tours FC will fall two divisions and return to Regional 2 next season. Six years later left Ligue 2. An inexorable descent into hell.
