Oliver Kahn’s crazy project with Saudi Arabia

At the start of the year, the French daily Sud-Ouest revealed that former German legend Oliver Kahn, accompanied by former OM president Jacques-Henri Eyraud, had started taking steps to buy the Girondins de Bordeaux. The club owned by Gérard Lopez sank from Ligue 1 to National 2 in barely 3 years and thus lost its professional status, the fault of catastrophic finances. Today in receivership, the club is waiting to appear before the Commercial Court within ten days. But despite its situation, the scapular club, a giant of French football, continues to be of interest.

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“Discussions about a possible entry into the Girondins de Bordeaux are only just beginning. There is nothing further to say at this stage.” Oliver Kahn immediately explained to BILD after the indignation of the Bordeaux supporters who began to dream of a return to the highest level. But before that, there are still a lot of steps to take for the former executive president of Bayern Munich (departure in May 2023). The takeover project is only at its very beginning and there is no guarantee that it will succeed. However, Oliver Kahn was keen to give a little more detail on his takeover project.

Funds from Saudi Arabia

In an interview given to JDDthe former German international explained the reasons which pushed him to choose a club like Bordeaux, in the 4th French division.“With the takeover of such a prestigious club, we are talking about culture, identity, community and sporting ambitions. It’s a challenge that would excite me. The takeover of such a prestigious club would excite me”he confided. In recent weeks, he has also made extensive inquiries with former teammates. He notably spoke at length with Willy Sagnol, coach of the Girondins between 2014 and 2016 but also with the Bordeaux legend Bixente Lizarazu whom he worked with for 8 seasons in Germany.

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But to have ambitions, you need means. And even more for a club like Bordeaux in debt everywhere. To buy the club and quickly climb back into the elite, you need solid funds. According to the indiscretions of JDDOliver Kahn wants to rely on funds from Saudi Arabia since he has several contacts within the Kingdom. He already has several businesses in this country and recently had an offer for the position of executive member of the board of directors of Al-Hilal. “I am currently looking at some options from an entrepreneurial point of view and developing football in Saudi Arabia is one of them”he whispered. He hopes to convince local investors to join his project. Proof of his motivation to buy the Girondins, he should quickly go to Bordeaux to meet Gérard Lopez. The German wants to know quickly whether or not the project is feasible.