Bordeaux Set to Lay Off 90% of Staff in Latest Financial Blow

French media reports that Bordeaux is preparing to lay off 90% of its workforce as part of a significant financial recovery effort.

The club, who signed former England striker Andy Carroll recently, are struggling after a tumultuous year, has reportedly sent dismissal letters to 97 employees as part of an ongoing restructuring process.

Once a powerhouse in French football, the six-time Ligue 1 champions were declared bankrupt earlier this year. Now competing in the fourth division, Bordeaux continue to face financial difficulties, prompting drastic measures. As part of their legal recovery process, the club has been forced to draft an employment protection plan, reducing their staff to a bare minimum to align with the budget of a lower-tier football team.

According to sources such as RMC Sport, the club is reshaping its business model. After the cuts, only ten employees will remain to oversee operations. The new structure will consist of a general manager, financial and administrative directors, a small marketing and communication team, a stadium manager, security personnel, an event manager, and a steward.

Ongoing Issues

This is perhaps the worst news to hit the club in recent weeks, but it is a culmination of bad news. Their French Cup match against CMO Bassens has been postponed due to police shortages caused by environmental protests, sparking frustrations for both clubs. Meanwhile, fans were outraged at the Arnault family’s acquisition of Paris FC, believing Bordeaux’s financial troubles could have been solved with Arnault’s investment. Supporters are disheartened that a club with Bordeaux’s rich history has been overlooked in favour of Paris FC, leaving them to endure further struggles in their lower-tier rebuild.

Currently ranked fourteenth out of sixteen teams, Bordeaux’s struggles continue on and off the pitch, with the club playing one or two fewer games than its rivals.

Site Opinion

Bordeaux’s story is a stark reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in football. Once a prominent name in European competitions, their slide into bankruptcy and subsequent relegation to the fourth tier underlines the precarious financial situation many clubs face today. The drastic layoffs, which see 90% of their staff gone, highlight just how far-reaching the consequences of financial mismanagement can be.

While it’s heartening to see Bordeaux attempting to rebuild, the scale of the cuts raises questions about their long-term viability. Operating with a skeleton crew might be manageable in the short term, but for a club with such a rich history, it will take much more than a trimmed-down workforce to restore their former glory. Football, after all, is not just about what happens on the pitch but also the stability and infrastructure behind the scenes.