EXCLUSIVE INFORMATION FROM “SOUTH WEST” – The former president of OM, Jacques-Henri Eyraud, contacted Gérard Lopez to inquire on behalf of the German, with a view to a crucial first half of 2025 for the future of the club.
This is just the first step, with new names likely to emerge in a non-sporting context which, alongside the fight for promotion to N1, will shape the next six months of the Girondins’ lives. According to our information, corroborated by several sources, the former president of Olympique de Marseille, Jacques-Henri Eyraud, contacted the owner of the Bordeaux club, Gérard Lopez, last December to obtain preliminary information on the conditions of a possible takeover, which were sufficiently positive to continue exploring the matter and contact the Bordeaux town hall. The entrepreneur and investor, who left the McCourt group (owners of OM) in September 2023, acted as representative of former German international goalkeeper Oliver Kahn.
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Kahn served as administrator and then executive chairman for two seasons at Bayern Munich, leaving the club he was associated with for most of his life (from 1994 to 2008 as a player, having trained at Karlsruhe) in May 2023. Since then, Kahn has traveled to gauge the pulse of international Football in various countries – Saudi Arabia, the United States and India – and in August expressed to “Kicker” magazine his desire to own a club. “Investing in football is different from investing in a screw manufacturing company. Football is about culture, identity and community. If everything aligns, I can clearly see it coming to fruition,” a- he explained.
The Girondins, whom he faced in the round of 16 of the UEFA Cup in 1994 (with Karlsruhe) and in the final in 1996 (with Bayern), caught his attention, and he showed an openness to leading an exploratory phase . The German would be the fund aggregator. Those around him emphasize that there is nothing more at this stage.
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President Gérard Lopez has never hidden his search for an investor to join the club. In the case of the Eyraud/Kahn duo, the interest, according to our information, concerns taking control of the club and of course its management.
Three potential routes exist for a possible takeover of the Girondins, who are currently in receivership. The first, the only viable option at this time, is to reach an agreement with the current owner for the purchase of shares after renegotiating existing debts while being obliged to finance a continuation plan.
The second option would consist of waiting for a possible failure of a continuation plan presented to the Commercial Court by Gérard Lopez, at which point the court would open a sales phase which would only concern the resumption of the brand and assets. The third option would occur after a judicial liquidation, reaching an agreement with the Girondins association, chaired by Jean-Louis Triaud. In the last two scenarios, avoiding another sporting relegation would probably seem impossible, potentially leading to a fall to Regional 3.
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In addition to Bruno Fiévet, who has publicly declared that he is working on a takeover of the stadium, or of the “Toujours Girondins” group in the event of a downturn, at least one other set of investors is actively contacting the matter and seeking funds. Within the circle of the Spanish-Luxembourgish owner, regular expressions of interest have been noted, but nothing concrete for the moment.
In the meantime, the Girondins management is preparing for the hearing on January 21 at the Commercial Court. Although the current observation period ends on January 31, they will request its extension for a further six months (until July 31) and will have to demonstrate the viability of the business during this period (during which debts will remain frozen ), as well as their initial projections on debt negotiations and continuity financing.
