K.O. again. after the fiasco of the cancellation of the 32e in the Coupe de France final against Lorient, Tours FC continued the bad news this Monday, December 23. There was the defeat on the green carpet (an expected elimination, even if the sky and black club intends to appeal) pronounced around noon by the federal commission of the Coupe de France.
And then, above all, there is this letter sent by Maître Bertrand Boudevin, requesting the opening of a new judicial liquidation procedure. A second in parallel with the first, currently on appeal. Explanations.
A first judicial liquidation procedure on appeal on January 16 in Orléans
The judicial administrator, who has been following the Tours FC professional sports limited company (SASP Tours FC, the “professional” part of the club) since May 2022, had already alerted the Tours commercial court. In the end, the judicial body opened liquidation proceedings on June 25, 2024.
After the takeover of the club by Ivan Desmet, this judgment was suspended on Friday July 19 by the Orléans Court of Appeal, pending the result of the appeal filed by the TFC. An appeal which must be argued on January 16 in Orléans and the result of which will be known in the following weeks. Two solutions in this procedure: either the liquidation is canceled or it is confirmed, which would spell the end of SASP Tours FC.
In “cessation of payments since September 3, 2024”
The club's complicated financial situation already did not inspire optimism. Maître Boudevin's letter, addressed to the club and the Tours commercial court, only confirms this. Dated Thursday December 19 (even before the TFC-Lorient fiasco), it simply says coldly that SASP Tours FC is in cessation of payments, even dating this state of affairs to September 3, 2024.
For the one who now acts as “commissioner for the execution of the plan”, the conclusion is clear since he notes “that the recovery plan of SASP Tours FC is not executed due to lack of payment of monthly installments”. This is what we can read in the conclusions of his letter which we obtained.
In addition to old debts (dating from the Ettori era) which had nevertheless been the subject of moratoriums – the deadlines of which are visibly not respected, according to the letter – there are other debts (Urssaf, Dalkia, EDF , Luzibaka, the EAT Group, the City of Tours, salaries, etc.).
Maître Bertrand Boudevin therefore requests from the commercial court “pronounce the opening of judicial liquidation proceedings against SASP Tours FC, accompanied by a possible authorized continuation of the activity depending on the elements to be presented at the hearing. »
Broken promises
This confirms that the management errors of the TFC are still current, despite the takeover of the SASP by the Belgian Ivan Desmet and his trusted man from Tours Hacène Haddad. The August promises to inject money have obviously not been kept…
Tours FC hoped to be able to play their Coupe de France match against Lorient on January 15. Unless there is a surprise on appeal, this will not be the case. On the other hand, he will play his future on Tuesday January 14 before the Tours commercial court and on Thursday January 16 before the Orléans Court of Appeal. Two judicial liquidation procedures are at stake. Only one will be enough to send it to the carpet. And it won't be green, this one.
