The former owner of Excel Mouscron and LOSC, Gérard Lopez, was heavily condemned by the French justice system. A conviction which dates from his time in Lille.
The name of Gérard Lopez is, in Belgium, associated with the bankruptcy and disappearance of a historic club: Excel Mouscron, which the Spanish-Luxembourgish businessman managed from 2020 to 2022. In France, he led LOSC from 2017 to 2020, having to leave the club following a massive debt accumulation.
Currently the owner of Bordeaux, which he led until its administrative demotion to National 2 (D4) last summer, Lopez was sentenced by French justice this week. He was found “accomplice to the offense of illegally exercising the activity of sports agent”, indicates a judgment of the Lille court.
The facts date from 2017-2018 and the recruitment by LOSC of the player Arton Zejak during which Lopez mandated a third party, Karim Saada, who was not licensed as a sports agent “in return for remuneration to maintain close relations with the official agent of the player, intercede between this agent and the president of LOSC in a paid manner”, explains the court judgment.
For these facts, Gérard Lopez was sentenced to 10 months’ suspended imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 euros.
In addition to Mouscron, Lille and Bordeaux (where he is still active), Gérard Lopez also sank the Portuguese club Boavista, which has just initiated proceedings to avoid total liquidation.
