A 'chaotic new reality' - Bordeaux's life in French fourth tier

It was in Saumur, a small town on the banks of the river Loire overlooked by a picturesque 10th-century castle, that Bordeaux clinched their first league win of the campaign - another double from the 35-year-old former Liverpool and England striker Andy Carroll clinching a second-half comeback.

Les Girondins, one of France's most decorated and oldest clubs, are in unfamiliar surroundings in the fourth division, the National 2.

Now debt-ridden and treading dangerously close to disappearing altogether, Bordeaux are further than ever from their heyday, spearheaded by the likes of Alain Giresse and Jean Tigana in the 1980s, and then Zinedine Zidane in the 1990s.

Colossal losses, caused by the club spending well above its means under successive owners over the past decade, have brought disastrous results on and off the pitch.

Les Girondins were first relegated to Ligue 2 two years ago, and narrowly avoided being knocked further down the pyramid that year by the DNCG, French football's financial watchdog.

After two unsuccessful promotion pushes, the club was finally dealt the decisive blow this summer. After several appeals, Bordeaux eventually filed for administration and handed in their licence as a professional club, and geared up for life in the fourth tier.

The move notably saw the closure of the club's youth academy, which counts France internationals Aurelien Tchouameni and Jules Kounde among its recent graduates.

A potential takeover by Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group provided some short-lived hope in August. Talks collapsed over the costs associated with the use of the Matmut Atlantique stadium, built for Euro 2016 and under council ownership, and the general financial struggles of French football.

French football's fallen giants are only a handful of games into their maiden campaign in the depths of the fourth tier, but the tales that the past few weeks have thrown up have done more than enough to keep them in the spotlight.

In a scene which perhaps best encapsulated the chaotic new reality at the club, manager Bruno Irles was filmed by television station Canal+ discussing potential signings with assistant Dado Prso while driving, and then stopping at a motorway services to research the former Croatia international's suggestions on his laptop.

Irles, who arrived at the club just days before, faced the challenge of recruiting enough players before midnight that day to prevent the club from forfeiting their first game of the season, against Poitiers on 31 August.

A host of former players would return, including defender Cedric Yambere and midfielder Younes Kaabouni. Such was the club's desperate need to register names that former France international Rio Mavuba - a Bordeaux youth graduate who now coaches at the club - briefly came out of retirement to play for the reserves, as did ex-defender Paul Baysse.

Bordeaux were eventually able to field a team, albeit with just 14 players on the squad sheet. Played behind closed doors at the Stade Sainte-Germaine, a nondescript 3,000-seater in the outskirts of the city, the match ended with goalkeeper Lassana Diabate heading in a last-minute equaliser.

Another goalkeeper in Over Mandanda (the younger brother of former international keeper Steve) was brought on to play in midfield to see out a Coupe de France tie last month, which prompted an unsuccessful appeal against the 5-0 result from their ninth-tier opponents.

Endearingly eccentric as the Bordeaux story might be, the six-time French champions' nosedive into amateur football has been a dramatic one.

A conflict between the two main groups of fans has meant many of the matches at lower-league grounds are played behind closed doors for security reasons.

The North Gate fans notably accuse the Ultramarines of being overly complacent with owner Gerard Lopez, the much-contested Spanish-Luxembourgish businessman who took over in 2021.

The 52-year-old would provide the funds to keep the club running, but has nevertheless overseen a three-tier drop all the while scarcely remedying what was already a critical financial situation.

Protests against his ownership have intensified, with fans gathering at the club's old stadium last month for a day-long demonstration which was supported by former players and included mayor Pierre Hurmic among its speakers.

While many are relieved that the worst-case scenario was avoided this summer, the ire towards Lopez - who presided over financial debacles at Lille and the Lotus F1 team as well - does not look like letting up anytime soon.

One group of fans has sought to carve out some control in the club's fate by setting up a Socios project - a fan ownership initiative inspired by Spanish and German football. With close to 3,000 members signing up and nearly a quarter of a million euros raised since August, the group hopes to act as a fan-led voice and a safeguard against future mismanagement.

"We want the club to be united," explains Donatien Rodriguez, one of the co-founders. "But everything needs to go through a vote among the Socios. If I were one of the members, I don't see why I’d be voting in favour of helping Lopez."

The Girondins Socios have now turned their attention towards saving the women's team, which has been left by the wayside.

The Girondines - who were playing in the Women's Champions League only a few years ago - have paid the price for the mismanagement of the men's team, and were excluded from the national-level leagues this summer.

"I understand their anger," says new vice-president Arnaud De Carli. "But you have to look at the state the club was in when Gerard Lopez took over."

The 49-year-old local business owner adds: "The debt has increased slightly, but not to catastrophic levels as you might read on social media. Nobody else was willing to put in as much money as he did to save the club, we saw it again this summer."

David Gluzman, a Bordeaux fan and director at Deutsche Pfandbriefbank, is not optimistic about the sustainability of the club's spending.

"In the fourth tier, your sources of income are gate receipts and sponsorships - I would be surprised if the club got even 2m euros (£1.67m) from that," he said.

"The money coming in from sell-on fees will be used to pay off creditors. The club will only be viable if Lopez puts in the difference between that and the 8m euros budget."

Another fan, Thibaud Desjardins, speaks of the "heartbreak" that the downfall has caused among the Bordeaux faithful.

While he recognises that Lopez is keeping the club running for now, he wants to see a sale as soon as possible. "He acts as though he's the club's saviour, but we've seen his tricks before," he said.

In an open letter to fans at the start of the season, Lopez admitted he had made "mistakes" during his time in charge (namely, his lack of involvement in day-to-day business) all the while defending his efforts to reduce debts.

In the statement, he criticised the seriousness of approaches from potential "so-called investors", concluding that going into administration was the only way to save Bordeaux from disappearing altogether.

The club's eventual return to its home stadium - after a dispute with the council and operating company over the rent conditions was resolved - provided a rare moment of celebration. The first match, against Voltigeurs de Chateaubriant, brought a turnout of more than 10,000 fans, for what also happened to be Carroll's debut.

A court decision at the end of September also staved off the spectre of liquidation for the time being, but Bordeaux's financial situation remains perilous.

According to France Bleu, close to 100 employees are being laid off amid the club's restructuring, while further hearings with the city's commercial tribunal are scheduled over the coming months.

For now, Carroll's exploits, the work of the staff that remain, and the undying (albeit divided) support keep the club plodding along.

Bruno Irles' men sit 14th in the league, with only the champions earning promotion. The road back to the top will be a long one.