The ax has not officially fallen but it's just like: the Girondins de Bordeaux will evolve, barring a huge surprise, in Ligue 2 next season.
Their draw against Lorient (0-0) on Saturday, combined with the victory of Metz against Angers (1-0), condemns them to 99% to go down due to a largely unfavorable goal difference which will not allow them to hang on the place of roadblocker (-41 against -29 in Metz 18th and -35 in Saint-Etienne, 19th).
In crisis for months sportingly, Bordeaux was in danger long before the start of the 2021-22 season.
A look back at the long decline of the Girondins in 10 key dates.
To discover
Calendar and results Ligue 1
League 1 standings
November 6, 2018: M6 sells the club to GACP and King Street
Owner of the Girondins de Bordeaux since 1999, M6 is accelerating the plan to sell the club in 2018. On November 6, the American investment fund GACP (General American Capital Partners) becomes the new owner.
At least, officially, with 14% of the shares.
Because the real decision-maker of the club is the American company King Street with 86% of the shares.
Joe DaGrosa, boss of GACP, aspires to a sizeable financial investment to "
compete with PSG
", as he presented in our columns in August 2019. Frédéric Longuépée, CEO of the Girondins appointed by King Street, advocated more prudent spending.
With, inevitably, a lesser sporting ambition.
Read alsoJoe DaGrosa au Figaro: "In twenty years, the Girondins will be worth a lot more money"
December 16, 2019: King Street becomes sole owner
In the heart of the 2019-20 season, barely correct on the pitch, the little war behind the scenes is over.
King Street finds common ground with GACP to buy its shares, "
due to the fundamental differences within the governance of FC Girondins de Bordeaux
", informs the club by press release.
From now on, the one and only boss of the Girondins is King Street.
January 9, 2021: social plan at the Girondins, 26 positions eliminated
The financial consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, which had caused the end of the Ligue 1 season in March 2020, are being felt.
In November, Bordeaux announced a voluntary departure plan (PDV) in order to reduce its number of employees.
In December, the club warns its employees by email of a “
historic
” forecast loss of at least €55 million over the season, which can climb to €80 million.
In January, the Girondinfos Twitter account and the
Sud-Ouest
daily revealed that the PDV was far from having reached its goal of 30 departures.
26 employees will be made redundant.
"
The club is now threatened in its survival
", worries Longuépée, who announces that at least 4 of the 8 players at the end of the contract in the
April 2021: wanted notices for Longuepée
12th in Ligue 1 during the 2019-20 season interrupted by the Covid-19, Bordeaux is fighting to maintain itself at the start of 2021. A series of 5 defeats in March-April will plunge it to 16th place.
It was during this period that the discontent of the supporters went up a notch.
The 1987 Ultramarines erect banners in the city that read, "
Where's Longsword?"
The discretion of the Girondin president questions as much as it annoys.
All supporters are calling for his resignation.
A few days later, western-style wanted notices, with the face of Frédéric Longuepée, abound in the streets of Bordeaux.
With a reward of €40,000 at stake.
Longuepée files a complaint against X.
April 22, 2021: King Street pulls out, bankruptcy filing discussed
At the end of the afternoon, the Girondins de Bordeaux publish a press release which will mark.
King Street "
has made it known that it no longer wishes to support the Club and fund its current and future needs
", we learn.
Between the Covid-19, the Mediapro fiasco or questionable management, King Street abandons Bordeaux.
“
A scandal, an absolute shame
”, protests the former player Bixente Lizarazu.
A “
betrayal
”, vituperates coach Jean-Louis Gasset.
The club is placed under the supervision of the Commercial Court of Bordeaux.
A bankruptcy filing is not excluded.
SEE ALSO –
Khazri's hat-trick with Saint-Étienne against Bordeaux in April 2021 (4-1)
July 23, 2021: Gérard Lopez buys the Girondins
After having operated in Lille from January 2017 to December 2020, Gérard Lopez takes control of a Ligue 1 club. The Hispano-Luxembourgish businessman buys the Girondins and avoids administrative relegation.
"
I can't go to the stadium and accept that, we'll have to roll up our sleeves
," warns Lopez as soon as he is inducted.
The summer transfer window will have successes (Onana, Elis) and above all failures (Gregersen, Mangas, Fransérgio, Niang).
The reinforcements of the winter transfer window (Marcelo, Ahmedhodzic, Ignatenko) will not solve anything.
Coach Vladimir Petkovic and new owner Gérard Lopez on July 30, 2021. Thierry Breton / Panoramic
January 7, 2022: end of invincibility against OM
The 2021-22 season will truly be remembered as the end of an era for Bordeaux.
On January 7, Olympique de Marseille won its first victory in Gironde lands (0-1) since 1977, ie 44 years and 3 months of scarcity.
All in a Matmut Atlantique behind closed doors, and facing a very reshuffled Bordeaux team following numerous cases of Covid-19.
“
Our club is not respected, the history of this meeting is not respected
”, thundered sports director Admar Lopes, furious that the meeting was not postponed.
February 7, 2022: Reims humiliates Bordeaux, Petkovic sacked
We knew the very porous Gironde defense.
Not to the point of suffering such a slap in Reims (5-0), in the fight to maintain like Bordeaux.
The club at the scapular swings into the red zone.
It is too much for the management which announces the setting up of Vladimir Petkovic, former coach of Switzerland who arrived at the start of the season.
His successor, David Guion, who passed through… Reims, was appointed 10 days later.
March 20, 2022: the worst of the worst against Montpellier
It is perhaps on this day that the Girondins have, sportingly, touched bottom.
Montpellier quickly leads 2-0 at Matmut Atlantique before Cozza (39th) and Ristic (45th+6) are expelled.
At 11 against 9 throughout the second period at home, Bordeaux will not even manage to score a goal.
To make matters worse, the Ultramarines, a former employee of the Girondins and another still in the club accuse goalkeeper Benoît Costil of racism, reveals the
Sud-Ouest
newspaper .
“
Our certainty about these racist actions has not been built recently.
We ourselves informed the management several months ago
“, insist the Ultramarines by press release.
The club finds itself buttocks between two chairs.
Costil's teammates support their goalkeeper, who has been as disappointing as the rest of his team for several months.
April 20, 2022: the match you had to win against ASSE
All is well for the Girondins at the half-hour mark. David Guion's men lead 2-0 against AS Saint-Étienne, a direct competitor in the game.
Until the reduction of the gap of Denis Bouanga (33rd).
In the second half, the Bordelais crumbled.
Arnaud Nordin equalizes after the hour mark (65').
Jimmy Briand, who had not played a second in 2022, entered in the 89th minute.
He scores with a low cross shot on his first ball (89th).
The Girondins exult, but after two minutes of waiting, the goal is canceled by the VAR.
Final score 2-2.
Bordeaux misses the mark and will never come back ahead of the Greens in the standings.
SEE ALSO –
The spectacular victory of Nantes against Bordeaux on April 24 (5-3)
