ANKARA

Six-time French football champions Bordeaux filed for bankruptcy as the club confirmed on Thursday.

"Following the confirmation of the DNCG's decision to relegate FC Girondins de Bordeaux to (third-tier) National 1, the Club filed for bankruptcy with the Bordeaux Commercial Court on Tuesday, in order to begin the necessary restructuring," Bordeaux said in a statement.

Bordeaux, which last won the top-tier French Ligue 1 in 2009, said that they had to renounce their professional status to avoid "heavy additional sanctions."

DNCG (Direction Nationale du Controle de Gestion) is the French football's financial watchdog as it monitors the French professional clubs' accounts.

"Although the training center will close as a result, the Club will continue to promote youth teams," Bordeaux said.

Bordeaux have failed to appear in the Ligue 1 for a couple of years as they previously were relegated to the Ligue 2 in 2022.

In July, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), a US conglomerate that owns English Premier League giants Liverpool, withdrew from the takeover talks to buy Bordeaux.

Bordeaux, which obtained professional status in 1937, are one of the clubs where many famous football stars played such as former France players Zinedine Zidane, Christophe Dugarry, Bixente Lizarazu, and Sylvain Wiltord, as well as ex-Portuguese forward Pauleta.

France international players Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid) and Jules Kounde (Barcelona) were the latest valuable Bordeaux products.