After a period of reflection, Lille Métropole Basket has made its relegation to National 1 official, as has the National Basketball League.
During the month of June, the leaders of Lille Métropole Basket held a series of hearings before the DNCCG, the financial policeman of French basketball. These all led to the same outcome, the impossibility for the club to re-engage in Pro B next season. The thing was also made official this Friday by the National Basketball League, which has just revealed the list of teams entered for the 2024-2025 financial year. In the second division, the RedGiants and Boulogne-Levallois were not renewed, while Caen must still be auditioned at the start of July.
- Those involved in Pro B (saison 2024-25) : Aix-Maurienne, Antibes, Blois, Boulazac, Chalons-Reims, Denain, Fos-Sur-Mer, Gries-Souffel, Hyres-Toulon, Nantes, Orléans, Paul-Lacq-Orthez, Poitiers, Roanne, Rouen, Saint-Chamond Andezieux, Vichy.
Lille Métropole Basket took note of the decision and chose not to appeal: “Despite considerable and reinforced support from public and private partners and in-depth work carried out in collaboration with communities, we have not been able to fill the budget deficit necessary for our re-engagement in the second division”explains its management in a press release. As a result, it has decided to apply for the National Men’s 1, which “would guarantee the stability of the structure and the credibility of the project while allowing us to clean up our finances in a more peaceful manner”we can read. A file will be filed by the LMB on Wednesday July 3 when a hearing will take place on July 5 or 8 to clear up the fog that still surrounds its future.
