the essential
Placed in receivership, the Bordelais were demoted last summer to National 2 by the DNCG. This is due in particular to the very advantageous contracts offered to players and managers.
Despite the unexpected arrival of Andy Carroll and a relative revival of hope at the sporting level, to say that the Girondins de Bordeaux are not experiencing their finest hours is an understatement.
Last summer, the club was administratively demoted to National 2 by the DNCG due to catastrophic finances, with “an operating deficit of 54 million euros and a net loss of 41 million” over the last financial year, as South West specifies. Crippled by a colossal debt (around 118 million according to the Commercial Court), the club managed by Gérard Lopez was also placed in receivership.
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The media clearly points the finger at the responsibility of the management, guilty of having made the “navy and white” club live well beyond its means. The problem lies particularly in the payroll area. During the 2023/2024 season, it reached 36 million euros. An amount twice as high as turnover excluding transfers.
Salaries above 50,000 euros per month
By consulting the contracts of members of last season’s squad, Sud Ouest revealed astonishing figures, especially for a Ligue 2 resident. In fact, 22 Bordelais benefited from a salary well in excess of the average €8,172 per month. perceived by other Ligue 2 players.
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Thus, Yoann Barbet, Alberth Elis and Danylo Ignatenko received more than €50,000 per month, while seven others were above 30,000. Add to that bonuses of all kinds (ethics, appearances, performances , exceptional, presence) and you will get a (very) salty bill. Without forgetting the remuneration of sports director Admar Lopes (480,000 euros net per year) and “attache to the president” James Stevens (120,000 euros per year).
These considerable expenses continued to bury the Girondins de Bordeaux in an ever more yawning financial abyss, at the same time as they turned off potential investors. Last June, the American group Fenway almost took over the club from the scapular. Its shareholders were partly discouraged by the tens of millions of euros needed to get the club back on its feet.
