Biarritz Olympique, in the red financially, relegated to the third division by the rugby disciplinary council

For one of the great names in French rugby, a five-time French champion club, it's a downward spiral. Biarritz Olympique (BO) has been administratively demoted to the Nationale, the third French division, by the rugby disciplinary council due to its "deteriorating financial situation," the National Rugby League announced on Monday, May 19. BO, for its part, has announced its intention to appeal this decision.

The body pronounced "a demotion of the club for financial reasons in the French National Championship at the end of the 2024-2025 season in light of its degraded financial situation and uncertainties over its continued operation" , as well as a deduction of six points for next season, the League explained in a press release.

The club subsequently announced its intention to appeal. "It intends to cooperate fully with the competent authorities by providing all necessary evidence, attesting to its good faith, its rigorous management and its legitimacy to play in Pro D2," it said.

The Basques finished the Pro D2 season in ^9th place. After a strong start, the players were disturbed by the attack by Fijian Masivesi Dakuwaqa, who bit one of his teammates in late January, but ultimately avoided relegation.

Since the early 2010s, including a Champions Cup final in 2010 and a victory in the European Challenge Cup in 2012, the club has experienced numerous difficulties. It was relegated to Pro D2 in 2014 and only returned to the rugby elite for one season, in 2021-2022.

The club was taken over in 2024 by a trio of former players led by Shaun Hegarty, who chairs the supervisory board. To raise the funding and guarantees necessary to maintain its position in the Pro D2, they surrounded themselves with partners, foremost among them conservative billionaire Pierre-Edouard Stérin.