“Yes, the ACA is in a worrying financial situation”, deplores Alain Orsoni

What future for AC Ajaccio? The club is currently going through a financial and sporting crisis. Alain Orsoni, president of the Holding Ajaccio Imperial Corse Investissement, answers the questions of France 3 Corse ViaStella.

An uncertain future for AC Ajaccio. The club, which separated on Saturday from its coach Mathieu Chabert, announced this Sunday, January 5, the appointment of Jean-Noël Fattaccioli, one of the main shareholders, as president.

Financial and sporting concerns which should be raised tomorrow afternoon during a public meeting requested by supporters of the red and whites. To clarify the situation, Alain Orsoni, president of the Ajaccio Imperial Corse Investissement Holding, answers questions from France 3 Corse.

The situation of AC Ajaccio is worrying, “critical” according to a press release from the club, at the financial level. Can we speak of an unprecedented danger or should this position be qualified in your opinion?

I believe the press release was clear and explicit on this subject. Yes, we have a worrying financial situation otherwise the DNCG (national management control directorate) would not have downgraded us as a precautionary measure.

Yes, we had a sales contract signed in due form, a memorandum of understanding at least, which took effect on July 31, the buyers asked us to postpone it to December 31, we had no reason to think that this would not happen since Mr. Fattaccioli, who was following the file, himself brought three million euros for the club in July. Three million euros lost, we won’t be able to recover them if we don’t sell.

Mr. Fattaccioli was in good faith, but the buyers withdrew at the last moment. This puts us in a worrying situation of course. Why the financial situation of the ACA is complicated, first point, it has always been complicated, but during the last league 1 season, we were contacted by a group who wanted to buy a sponsor from us and who even said they were interested by the takeover of the club.

Firstly, they signed a sponsorship contract worth five million euros. We also assumed our part, because there are always counterparties, they cost us a few hundred thousand euros and subsequently, despite our repeated reminders, they never paid and they disappeared.

We filed a complaint with the court, we won. In accordance with European regulations, we went to a Portuguese court where we also won, except that we can no longer find the people who were supposed to honor this debt.

It’s a difficult situation because when you budget five million euros and they disappear, you end up with a hole of five million euros. And even a little more, that is to say the 250,000 or 300,000 euros that we spent to honor our contract. It was three years ago, but unfortunately, time does not erase the debts and they have accrued.

This year we received a letter stating that we had to submit our budget based on last year’s TV rights, which we did. This was therefore approved at first instance by the DNCG. Except that three weeks later, we were told that there were two million euros less in TV rights. Five plus two equals seven. That’s the end of the story.

We still have leads today, but for the moment, the situation is what it is: critical.

The buyers also had to repurchase the debt. Do we have a figure on this? Some say four or five million euros.

I just gave it away. The debt is seven million euros. The seven million euros that were missing. I don’t have the details in front of me, but there is a part of the debt for which there is a moratorium which is repayable in two years and the rest corresponds very exactly, even a little less, to the seven million euros for which I have just given you the explanations. There is no more, but it is enough. It’s a small debt, but for us it’s huge.

How critical is this situation? Can we achieve a cessation of payments for players, staff and management before the end of the season, which was a fear of the DNCG?

This is not yet on the agenda. But it is certain that we are looking for quick solutions because we are encountering indisputable difficulties.

Today, the situation in French football is absolutely untenable. We are not the only ones in the race, others will follow. This does not console me, but it is a factual situation that cannot be ignored.

Where can these solutions come from? Can they be at the local level?

The one we had at the local level has withdrawn, so for the moment, we don’t have one. But we have three groups who may possibly be interested.

But I would like to clarify one important point. It’s not a financial matter. There is no profit motive and the shareholders are even prepared to give up and lose their investment to save the club.

Then, it is true that Corsica does not inspire great confidence in investors and that in the context of the current situation in football, it is not really motivating. This is what makes it even more complicated.

And on top of that comes a whole bunch of induced consequences. I’ll give an example, it’s not new and it happens to us almost every year. The ACA, thanks to its training center, manages to produce very good players. When we have a very good player, whose value is estimated at three million euros, as interested clubs know that we always have the knife to our throat, instead of getting three million euros from him, we get one or two million. It’s a vicious circle.

Moreover, in terms of aid, we are the last, of the last, of all the professional clubs. In terms of public attendance, that’s not what’s going to save us. So we have to find investors and that’s what we’re doing.

Are you nevertheless optimistic about the sale, do you think you can sell the ACA well?

It’s not a financial matter, you just have to find people who will ensure the sustainability of the club. The rest, we don’t care. I am optimistic by nature, but I will not hide from you that the situation is still worrying.