5th league threatens
The French FC Sochaux-Montbéliard is a club steeped in tradition that has turned well-known Bundesliga players such as Ibrahima Konaté, Marcus Thuram and Maxence Lacroix into professionals. Stuck in Ligue 2 for nine seasons after being relegated to the top tier in 2014, FCSM are on the verge of a crash. On Tuesday, the French professional football control body (DNCG) confirmed the provisional forced relegation to the third division. The reason for this is a financial hole worth millions, but it could get worse.
Sochaux is a small commune in eastern France just before the Swiss border. It takes a little more than 20 minutes to drive to the neighboring country. Around 4,000 people live in Sochaux, which is best known for one thing: the Peugeot car brand. Peugeot is the oldest existing car brand in the world and has its largest production site in Sochaux. Also in the center of the commune there is the Peugeot Museum. It should come as no surprise that the vehicle manufacturer and the local football club are closely linked. It was Peugeot that founded FC Sochaux as a works club in 1928.
The Stade Auguste-Bonal with a capacity of 20,005 seats is right next to the factory, and the lion in the old Peugeot logo adorned the FCSM crest until 2015. Sochaux was a fixture on the French football landscape for decades, winning the championship in 1931 (as Champion de France par Catégories), 1935 and 1938. In addition, they won the cup in 1937 and 2007 and won the league cup in 2004. Until the first division were relegated in 2014, the FCSM had played a total of 67 years in the top flight despite interruptions, which was a record among all clubs and was gradually surpassed by Olympique Marseille, FC Girondins Bordeaux and AS Saint-Étienne.
Pour ceux qui ignored ce que represent the FC Sochaux et Peugeot pour cette région.
Voici a photo du Stade Bonal au milieu des usines et ateliers de montage, qui employaient plus de 40 000 persons dans les les 70 (about 8 000 aujourd’hui). pic.twitter.com/ky4GmqKaPa
— EspoirsduFootball (@EspoirsduFoot) July 11, 2023
In Ligue 2, Sochaux was mainly found in midfield or in the lower regions, only in the last three seasons did they end in single digits (for overview). In 2022, a return to the first division in the relegation failed. With ninth place last season, the FCSM had secured the sporting qualification for another year in the lower house, but the precarious economic situation is different. “L’Équipe” said that the club had lived beyond its means, the minus had increased due to excessive player salaries and bonuses. According to reports, the financial gap amounts to 22 million euros.
Sochaux fan: Situation “worrying” – Same fate as SC Bastia threatens
At the end of June, the supervisory body for French professional football (DNCG) decided to downgrade the traditional club to the third-rate Championnat National. Sochaux announced an appeal, wanting to prove that the Chinese Nenking Group, which owns the club, had made good the deficit. The judgment of the DNCG makes it clear that this approach failed. Before the decision was made, Sochaux’ managing director Samuel Laurent traveled to Hong Kong for a meeting with Nenking boss Zhong Naixiong and came back empty-handed. According to the club, Nenking was not able to “generate sufficient liquidity” due to the ailing real estate market in China.
It’s not the first time that an FCSM owner has experienced financial difficulties. Nenking officially joined Sochaux in April 2020, but had already taken Ledus’ place for months at the time. The deal dragged on because Tech Pro, which owns Ledus, was still listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The transaction could only be carried out after the exit. Ledus bought FCSM in 2015, making it the first European professional club to be under the full control of Chinese investors. Under Ledus’ leadership, among other things, Sochaux became a satellite team of the Spanish Deportivo Alavés between mid and late 2018. For example, Ermedin Demirovic (today FC Augsburg) was loaned to FCSM for six months.
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Before the takeovers by Nenking and Ledus, Sochaux was financially backed by founder Peugeot, but because the company was posting billions of dollars in losses, it withdrew in 2015. Now, eight years later, the FCSM is completely on its own. Further efforts to plug the financial hole were also not enough to stay in Ligue 2. To date, 15 players have left the club, including midfield talent Skelly Alvero for €4m for Olympique Lyon. The 21-year-old was also traded at Borussia Mönchengladbach and Mainz 05. Sochaux’ sporting future is still uncertain after the forced relegation, because a budget has to be submitted for the third division, otherwise it will continue in the fifth division. Such a fate befell SC Bastia in 2017, who recovered and are entering their third season in Ligue 2.
According to fan Florian Bolmont, the FCSM is at the beginning of a summer of hell. He feels betrayed and angry. “We were mocked and we only found out at the last minute,” he told Transfermarkt. “It’s terrifying to think that we’re probably going to file for bankruptcy. I’m thinking of the staff and all the fans who are losing a big part of themselves.” The situation is “worrying, but we are sure that the fans will stand united behind the club”. Bolmont is certain that Sochaux will live.
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