Zinedine Zidane's former club Girondins de Bordeaux to quit as professional club

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Six-time French champions Girondins de Bordeaux have announced to not apply for professional status after financial turmoil.

The century-old club in France, who were served by some of football's greats, is set to suffer a sad demise from professional football. They informed the French Football Federation that they won't apply for a professional license in the upcoming season.

The club has also terminated the contracts of all their players and the training centre will also close soon.

Girondins de Bordeaux was established in 1881 and they held a professional status since 1937. The French club won 6 Ligue 1 titles, the most recent coming in the 2008-09 season. They also had success in Europe as the club won the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 1995.

France and football legend Zinedine Zidane played for four seasons in the mid-1990s at the club. It has come as a major shock to the fans and the footballing fraternity as a whole. Although the club is yet to confirm its final verdict, the reports across Europe heavily have indicated the end of the road for them.

Bordeaux had the worst season in 2023-24, which saw them getting relegated to the 3rd tier of French football. The club was in talks with FSG (Fenway Sports Group) for a potential buy, but those talks also broke down, which ended the hopes for any revival. Their financial struggle meant without a proper buyer, the club was pulled down to the 3rd tier.

A release from Bordeaux confirmed that FSG pulled away from a potential buy, stating-

"While discussions had resumed in recent days, FSG representatives indicated yesterday, Monday July 22, to Bordeaux and its shareholders their desire not to follow through despite the assurances provided by various stakeholders.

"Therefore, in the absence of new elements, Bordeaux withdrew the appeal lodged against the decision of the DNCG. As a result, Bordeaux accepts the sanction of administrative demotion to the Championnat National for the 2024-2025 season and will be summoned again to present its budget to the DNCG."

It is to be seen if Girondins de Bordeaux can find any saviour in the final days, but as of now, the club may move forward as a semi-professional outfit.