‘How could we allow this man to take over Girondins de Bordeaux?’ – Lille’s president Olivier Létang slam Gérard Lopez | OneFootball

Present in front of media for the introduction of the club’s first three signings, Lille’s president Oliver Létang heavily criticised his predecessor’s work at Lille and Bordeaux’s, whose management caused the Maritimes to filled for bankruptcy and be demoted to the French fourth tier.

In December 2020, Olivier Létang sealed Lille’s takeover from Gérard Lopez, saving the club from a certain bankruptcy, if not worse. The Luxembourg businessman had accumulated massive debts throughout the years, and was threatened by Merlyn Partners, the holding firm that owned Les Dogues, as he was unable to refund the loan he had contracted since buying the club from iconic president Michel Seydoux in 2017. The former PSG sporting director slammed Lopez’s management, who is responsible for the bankruptcy of multiple clubs and institutions, such as Lotus F1 Team, Belgium outfit Mouscron-Péruwelz, and Bordeaux, while Portuguese outfit Boavista could have the same fate soon. “I’m thinking of the fans of Mouscron, Bordeaux, Boavista… LOSC is a great 80-year-old club, but it should have died at 77. When you see Mouscron a few years ago, and now Bordeaux also on the verge of being liquidated… They are assets, territories. They are part of our heritage. I think that’s terrible,” said Lille’s president.

‘How a club like Girondins de Bordeaux could have been entrusted to this person’

Since his arrival in December 2020, Olivier Létang managed to completely turn around Lille’s financial balance, reducing considerably the Northern side’s debts while still being competitive and clinching European qualification. Les Dogues’ president revealed that he predicted what would happen to Bordeaux years ago when Lopez took over the Maritimes: “I’d really like someone to take responsibility and explain to me how a club like Girondins de Bordeaux could have been entrusted to this person. As far as I’m concerned, it’s lunar, lunar! All it took was one phone call. To tell you the truth, two years ago, an elected official from the Bordeaux region called me. He said to me, ‘Lopez, what should I do?’ I told him, ‘Don’t take the risk. The outcome is certain.’ Now, two years later, exactly what I predicted is happening. And then I told the Senate, I’m a French taxpayer, not him. And public funds have been committed. I find it disgusting and irresponsible, but once again the chain of responsibility is clear. How could we allow this man to take over Girondins de Bordeaux?”

GFFN l Grégoire Devaux