Bordeaux fans fighting each other again as struggles continue at debt-ridden club

By: Jerome Pugmire, The Associated Press Posted: 8:28 AM CST Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024 Last Modified: 8:31 AM CST Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024

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PARIS (AP) — Bordeaux’s plight is already bad enough with the club suffering a double relegation to French soccer’s fourth tier due to financial irregularities. To make things worse, the club’s two main fan groups have started fighting each other again.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/12/2024 (663 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The longstanding Ultramarines fought with the recently formed North Gate Ultras group outside Matmut Atlantique stadium before Saturday’s home game with Saint-Brieuc, re-igniting a feud that saw violent clashes last season.

Bordeaux released a statement on Sunday condemning the fighting, which required the intervention of police to restore order.

FILE - Bordeaux supporters unfurl a large banner on Oct. 12, 2024 before the French Championnat National 2 soccer match between Bordeaux and Avranches. (AP Photo/Jerome Pugmire, File)

“The club reaffirms its opposition to all forms of violence and its profound commitment to the values of sport,” the club posted on X. “In the days to come it will be paramount that all the parties involved work together to find concrete solutions that will guarantee festive and popular football. Only support and unity will allow Bordeaux to meet the challenges ahead.”

Six-time French champion Bordeaux is swamped by 118 million euros ($128 million) of debt and the two supporters’ groups have differing views about the club’s leadership under current president Gérard Lopez.

Earlier in the week, the two groups met to appease tensions but reportedly left without reaching an agreement. Up until Saturday’s clash, they had avoided each other on matchday.

Bordeaux is now stuck in the National 2 league with only one promotion spot. Saturday’s 0-0 draw left Bordeaux in sixth place and 10 points behind leader Saint-Malo, having played one game less.

The financial situation is drastic and could lead to one of France’s best-loved clubs among neutral fans folding completely.

Bordeaux is set to lose a further 1.9 million euros ($2 million) in yearly revenue at the end of the season because insurance group Matmut is set to end its naming rights deal for the 42,000-capacity state-of-the-art stadium, which hosted soccer games during the Paris Olympics.

Bordeaux has played a total of 75 seasons in France’s top division and won its latest league title in 2009. It has also won four French cups, three League Cups and reached the 1996 UEFA Cup final with future great Zinedine Zidane in the team.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer