Ex-DFB star confirms talks
Will Oliver Kahn become an investor in a traditional club?
Updated on January 2, 2025 – 9:31 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Oliver Kahn had already signaled in the summer that he wanted to invest in a football club. Now this idea may become more concrete.
Former world-class goalkeeper Oliver Kahn is interested in taking over the traditional club Girondins Bordeaux. As the French newspaper “Sud Ouest” reports, former Olympique Marseille boss Jacques-Henri Eyraud is said to have made initial contacts with Girondins owner Gérard Lopez in December on behalf of Kahn. The first exchange was positive, but the matter is not yet concrete. “The discussions about a possible entry into Girondins de Bordeaux are in the early stages. There is nothing more to say at the moment,” Kahn confirms the report when asked by “Bild”.
19 months after his departure as CEO of FC Bayern, it would be a surprising comeback to football for Kahn. In Bordeaux, the 55-year-old would have to do some development work. The six-time French champion, who lost the UEFA Cup final against FC Bayern with Kahn in goal in 1996 with players like Zinédine Zidane and Bixente Lizarazu, had to face forced relegation to the fourth-tier National 2 after insolvency in the summer. The club, with debts of more than 100 million euros, is in fourth place.
Kahn had already signaled in the summer that he was interested in investing in the club. “Investing in football is different than investing in a screw manufacturer. Football is about culture, identity, community. If everything fits together, I can imagine it very well,” said the 2002 World Cup runner-up to “Kicker”.
Girondins boss Lopez has been looking for investors for some time to save the traditional club. Another appointment is scheduled for January 21st at the commercial court in Bordeaux, where the future of the club will be discussed. In the worst case scenario, there is a risk of legal liquidation.