Reaction of La Berrichonne de Châteauroux after the DNCG decision.
Châteauroux, December 3, 2024
The Berrichonne de Châteauroux, who was interviewed today, learned this evening of the decision of the National Directorate of Management Control (DNCG) to pronounce against her a demotion as a precautionary measure to N2.
Which means that, like last season, this leaves the club with 7 months to find complementary solutions to the rescue actions put in place since the club took over, 10 months ago now.
Since the sporting demotion to National 1 during the 2021 season, the club has faced major financial difficulties.
Previous management left a heavy imbalance between income and expenses, with a turnover of €2.6 million in 2023 for operating expenses of €9.2 million, mainly made up of a payroll of €4.2 million and social charges of €1.7 million.
The club's organizational structure, inherited from its past in Ligue 2, was not adapted to its new reality, with a bloated administrative workforce (37 administrative employees) and significant rental charges for the stadium, the training center and the offices. .
As a result, the club has accumulated colossal social, tax and supplier debts.
These difficulties led to sanctions from the DNCG (management of the payroll, ban on recruitment) and the opening of an ad hoc mandate procedure in June 2023, closed in February 2024.
Since then, the new majority shareholder, taken in the person of Stratton Oakmont Sports since the acquisition of 89% of the Club's shares in January 2024, and the new management put in place as a result, have initiated an ambitious plan of restructuring and financial rebalancing (via significant contributions of funds) the results of which are already visible and welcomed by the DNCG.
Management has implemented immediate and targeted measures to reduce fixed costs:
– Reduction of the administrative workforce, from 37 to 8 employees, with a significant saving on payroll of €2.3 million (players included) between the situation on June 30, 2023 compared to June 30, 2024;
– Shutdown of the training center, generating a net saving of €600,000 per year after deduction of aid.
– Renegotiation of rents: in partnership with the town hall of Châteauroux, whom we thank, a significant reduction of €122,000 was obtained for the infrastructure used by the club (stadium and training grounds).
– Debt management and moratorium agreements: an agreement with the CCSF made it possible to spread the repayment of €750,000 of tax and social debts over 36 months at a rate of €20,000 per month.
All this has already made it possible to obtain encouraging results despite numerous local and industrial tribunal obstacles which do not help the club.
However, the DNCG therefore considered that additional efforts were still necessary.
La Berrichonne de Châteauroux intends to fully cooperate with the governing bodies of French Football in order to lift all the reservations expressed and demonstrate the solidity of its new economic model. The club will implement all means at its disposal to provide the required guarantees and thus preserve its future in National 1 which must also be won on the pitch.
Convinced of the correctness of her approach, the Berrichonne de Châteauroux expresses her determination to overcome this ordeal and quickly find the path to full financial stability.
The club warmly thanks its supporters, its partners, elected officials, and all of its collaborators for their unwavering and vital support for the survival of the club.
In this sense, a “2025” plan will be presented in the coming days.
GO BERRI!
