Girondins de Bordeaux: the club denounces an attempted fraud by a potential buyer and tackles the mayor Pierre Hurmic

For several weeks, the acquisition of the Girondins de Bordeaux has been at the heart of controversy. After rumors of a 205 million euro investment by Arkin Capital, an English company, the Port de la Lune football club decided to react. " Our checks reveal that this company has neither the necessary financial resources nor the credibility to carry out such a project," we can read in a press release published this Tuesday, February 25 on the club's website.

" This initiative appears to be a clear attempt to mislead the judicial and administrative authorities in charge of the club's recovery, while casting doubt on the efforts underway to stabilize and revive the Girondins. Worse still, there is a real risk of fraud," denounces the management. The football club has taken legal action by reporting it to the Bordeaux prosecutor's office, which has opened a preliminary investigation against unknown persons for attempted fraud by an organized gang, forgery and use of forged documents, according to information from Ici Gironde. In the columns of Sud-Ouest , Arkin Capital says it "firmly contests any accusation of fraud" and denounces the "unacceptable allegations" of the Bordeaux club.

The English company is not the only one targeted by Gérard Lopez, the Spanish-Luxembourgish owner of the club. "We also note that certain personalities representing important institutions in Bordeaux are having private discussions with external actors about the Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux, without consultation with the club itself," the press release points out. By giving visibility to investors with unverified, even dubious, means, these initiatives weaken the efforts underway and compromise the stability of the revival project." Last week, the city's mayor Pierre Hurmic and the president of the Métropole Christine Bost met Oliver Kahn , a former international goalkeeper and German football star, accompanied by Jacques-Henri Eyraud, former president of Olympique de Marseille, for discussions on a possible takeover of the club .

"What interested me most is that they confirmed their desire to acquire the stadium at the same time"

Pierre Hurmic, Mayor of Bordeaux

"It was a serious meeting with serious people," "quite determined," Christine Bost told AFP. "What interested me the most was that they confirmed their desire to acquire the stadium at the same time," added Pierre Hurmic, the Green elected official.

The Matmut Atlantique , the large stadium in Bordeaux, built for Euro 2016, belongs to the Métropole, but is operated by SBA, a subsidiary of the BTP Vinci and Fayat groups. This company is struggling to fill this 42,000-seat stadium in the absence of the appeal for the Girondins, international matches or concerts. The SBA hoped to renegotiate the contract that binds it to the Métropole and the club until July 2025 but no agreement was reached. To make matters worse, Matmut announced last December that it was giving up the naming contract, which allows it to give its name to the stadium in exchange for an annual rent of 1.9 million euros paid to the SBA. The company could soon file for bankruptcy.

Last summer, the Girondins initiated a receivership procedure after being administratively relegated from Ligue 2 to Nationale 2 (fourth division) last summer with a debt estimated at 118 million euros. The club is currently second in its N2 group.